By the Numbers - April 29, 2013

By the Numbers - April 29, 2013

32%

The percentage by which "psychotherapy targeting suicide prevention reduced the risk for attempts" -- at least for adults -- according to an article recently published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine -- Screening for and Treatment of Suicide Risk Relevant to Primary Care: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The authors of the article reviewed studies from scholarly journals that dealt with "the accuracy of screening instruments and the efficacy and safety of screening for and treatment of suicide risk in populations and settings relevant to primary care." They concluded:

Primary care–feasible screening tools might help to identify some adults at increased risk for suicide but have limited ability to detect suicide risk in adolescents. Psychotherapy may reduce suicide attempts in some high-risk adults, but effective interventions for high-risk adolescents are not yet proven.

According to the article:

Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 2009, accounting for 36 897 deaths with an age-adjusted rate of 11.8 per 100 000 persons. It accounted for more than 1.4 million years of potential life lost before age 85 years.