Can Suicide Treatment Centers Help My Loved One?
Suicide & Mental Illness
More oftentimes than not, someone who’s considering suicide is dealing with overwhelming emotional and/or psychological problems. According to the American Family Physician, over 90 percent of people who commit suicide struggle with one or more psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse.
In effect, it’s not the psychological dysfunction that increases suicide risk, but the addition of a major stressor on top of mental illness that drives a person over the edge. Psychiatric disorders commonly associated with actual completed suicides include:
- Alcohol abuse
- Major depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Borderline personality
- Panic disorder
For these reasons, suicide treatment centers spend much of their time assessing a person’s psychological status, treating any existing mental health problems and helping him or her develop healthy coping skills for dealing with life stressors.
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Treatment Interventions Offered by Suicide Treatment Centers
Medication Therapies
There are treatment programs that can help you cope with and overcome suicidal thoughts.
Considering the degree of emotional and psychological turmoil that underlies a suicide attempt, people who’ve reached this point likely suffer from some form of brain chemical imbalance. Suicide treatment centers use medication therapies as a means for restoring normal chemical balance in the brain, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Medication therapies can also be administered as a treatment for substance abuse disorders, since ongoing drug or alcohol use does promote brain chemical imbalance over time. Medications commonly used by suicide treatment centers include anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs.
Ultimately, the severity of the symptoms associated with any one disorder determines:
- The need for medication treatment
- The type of medication used
- The length of time a person remains on medication
Psychotherapy
Someone who’s considering suicide has essentially reached a point of hopelessness that makes suicide the only viable option. Ultimately, the goal of psychotherapy treatment works to help restore a sense of hope in a person’s life. Suicide treatment centers use psychotherapy treatment to address the underlying issues that bring a person to the point of hopelessness.
Part of the treatment process entails developing a treatment plan that lays out your loved one’s goals and the steps he or she needs to take to reach them. In this respect, suicide treatment centers create a roadmap for recovery that enables a person to regain a sense of control over his or her life.
Considerations
According to the Mayo Clinic, everyone’s situation is unique, so the need for treatment of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors can vary depending on the level of risk involved. The risk your loved will attempt suicide greatly increases in cases where he or she has an actual plan and lethal means for carrying it out.
While medications and psychotherapy go a long way towards relieving the emotional distress a loved one experiences, these interventions take time to take effect. Suicide treatment centers can provide the supports and guidance your loved one needs until his or her condition has stabilized.
If you suspect a loved one may be capable of acting on suicidal thoughts, admission into a suicide treatment center ensures he or she receives the level of monitoring and supervision needed to prevent self-harm.
