Preventing Suicide by Improving Awareness, Testing, and Technology
Suicide affects kids, teens, their families, and adults of all ages. We must identify warnings signs as early as possible if we are to save our kids from this horrible affliction. More than a fifth of adolescents screened by MHT’s clinical partners through SmarTest® AI indicated suicidal ideation.
Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US (National Alliance on Mental Illness). But it takes a disproportionate number of young people away from us. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among kids aged 10-14, and the 3rd leading cause among teens and young adults aged 15-24.
So, How Do We Prevent It?
At MHT, we believe that systematically identifying early warning signs and patient outcomes is one of the few ways we can institutionally tackle this issue head on. In the past, suicide prevention was a task that mainly fell onto friends, family, teammates, coaches, and teachers. While these individuals remain the first line of defense, an untrained and biased eye can misinterpret or fail to notice clear signals. The answer, in our opinion, is artificial intelligence and the technological enablement of healthcare professionals.
SmarTest® AI: Identifying Early Warnings Signs of Suicide
A much more technologically robust clinical process for managing behavioral health is the only way to match the scale that suicide has reached in the US. While 46% of people who die by suicide had a previously diagnosed mental health condition, research suggests that 90% experienced symptoms of a mental health condition (NAMI).
There’s no single cause for suicide, which makes it particularly difficult to identify when thoughts are arising (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). A combination of emotional, physiological, and behavioral changes present themselves in individuals in unique and idiosyncratic ways.
SmarTest® AI is Mental Health Technologies’ patented, HIPPA-compliant tool for healthcare professionals to identify, track, refer, and bill for behavioral health screenings in a smoother, more efficient, and more effective manner. Here’s a few examples of how we’re helping our current clinical partners address suicidal ideation:
Real-time alerts instantly alert designated staff member on patients who indicate suicidal tendencies.
Automated referrals sent directly to one of our trusted behavioral health partners. Upon gaining patient consent, referrals are instantly sent via email.
URL Redirects help get patients to where they need immediately after completing an online assessment (remote or in-office). Depending on their assessment results, clinics can redirect patients to the 988 Suicide Hotline, behavioral health partner website, TMS intake forms, or alternatives.
SmarTest® AI Statistics
Through the first eight months of 2024, MHT's SmarTest® AI has screened more than 17,000 adolescents (ages 12-17) in the U.S. for depression
Of those adolescents tested, 21% indicated thinking about suicide at least once every few days. And that’s from a statistically significant number of tests. Put differently, more than a fifth of adolescents in America are thinking about committing suicide. Of those who indicated thinking about suicide via SmarTest® AI, 33% (or one third) indicated they were having thoughts at least every other day—if not nearly every day.
Contact us or book a meeting here to learn more about our free trial process and how MHT can provide your practice with numerous benefits while enhancing quality of care for all patients.
Resources:
https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/suicide-prevention-month/
https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/