9/24/2020 Grand Rounds

Eric G. Smith, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA

This talk will cover past and recent findings by the speaker and others concerning the role of medications in suicide prevention. These medications including lithium, clozapine, and antidepressants. We will also look at the challenges of identifying individuals who are high risk for suicide, and efforts that are being made to address those challenges. Dr. Smith will share clinical tips, based on research, to aid practice. By the end of the presentation, participants will have increased knowledge of the evidence informing efforts of suicide risk prediction, and what some of the implications are for their practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the role of lithium, clozapine, and antidepressants in preventing suicide and suicidal behavior, and potential limitations to their use

2. Discuss the challenges in identifying patients who are high-risk for suicide and the role of universal versus targeted/selective interventions

3. Describe some of the novel emerging approaches to identify high-risk patients