Preventing repetition of attempted suicide-III: The Amager Project, 5-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Preventing repetition of attempted suicide-III

T2 - The Amager Project, 5-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

AU - Lahoz, Titia

AU - Hvid, Marianne

AU - Wang, August G

PY - 2016/10/2

Y1 - 2016/10/2

N2 - BACKGROUND: The Amager Project was initiated as a quasi-experimental study in 2005, based on an active outreach suicide preventive intervention inspired by the Norwegian Baerum Model. A 1-year follow-up study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial showing that this kind of active outreach to suicide attempters had a significant preventive effect on the prevalence of suicide attempts and significantly reduced the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt.AIMS: In this 5-year RCT follow-up the aim was to investigate the sustainability of the suicide preventive effect shown in a 1-year follow-up study.METHOD: One hundred and thirty-three suicide attempters were included at this 5-year follow-up RCT study at Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager, and randomized to a rapid outreach suicide preventive intervention (OPAC) or TAU.RESULTS: Offering OPAC intervention to patients after a suicide attempt has a significant preventive effect on the total of suicide attempts and significantly reduces the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt. The suicide preventive effect lasts up to 265 weeks. After 3-4 years the effect on the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt is no longer sustainable, while the effect on the number of repetitive events remains significant.CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the importance of a rapid and active outreach intervention and points out that the effect on the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt wears off and is no longer sustainable after 3-4 years, suggesting the need for a follow-up intervention.

AB - BACKGROUND: The Amager Project was initiated as a quasi-experimental study in 2005, based on an active outreach suicide preventive intervention inspired by the Norwegian Baerum Model. A 1-year follow-up study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial showing that this kind of active outreach to suicide attempters had a significant preventive effect on the prevalence of suicide attempts and significantly reduced the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt.AIMS: In this 5-year RCT follow-up the aim was to investigate the sustainability of the suicide preventive effect shown in a 1-year follow-up study.METHOD: One hundred and thirty-three suicide attempters were included at this 5-year follow-up RCT study at Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager, and randomized to a rapid outreach suicide preventive intervention (OPAC) or TAU.RESULTS: Offering OPAC intervention to patients after a suicide attempt has a significant preventive effect on the total of suicide attempts and significantly reduces the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt. The suicide preventive effect lasts up to 265 weeks. After 3-4 years the effect on the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt is no longer sustainable, while the effect on the number of repetitive events remains significant.CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the importance of a rapid and active outreach intervention and points out that the effect on the number of patients repeating a suicide attempt wears off and is no longer sustainable after 3-4 years, suggesting the need for a follow-up intervention.

KW - Adult

KW - Female

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Norway

KW - Outcome Assessment (Health Care)

KW - Psychotherapy

KW - Recurrence

KW - Suicide, Attempted

KW - Journal Article

KW - Randomized Controlled Trial

U2 - 10.1080/08039488.2016.1180711

DO - 10.1080/08039488.2016.1180711

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27187267

SN - 0803-9496

VL - 70

SP - 547

EP - 553

JO - Nordisk Psykiatrisk Tidsskrift

JF - Nordisk Psykiatrisk Tidsskrift

IS - 7

ER -