Psychiatry researchers offer evidence of web-based suicide prevention protocol for medical interns
November 4, 2015
CHARLESTON, SC – Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have demonstrated that a free, easily accessible web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (wCBT) program is associated with reduced likelihood of suicidal thoughts among medical interns. The study has been published in the Nov. 4 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry.
Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and physicians are two to three more times likely than the general population to die by suicide.
“On average, one physician dies by suicide every day in our country, and physicians-in-training are at a particularly high risk for mental health problems,” said Constance Guille, M.D., lead study author and assistant professor in the MUSC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “During the first three months of internship year, suicidal ideation increases 3-to-4 fold, but very few medical trainees seek conventional mental health treatment. Unfortunately, little has been done up to this point to find ways to prevent this escalation in suicidal ideation. We are excited to see that the use of a free and publically available web-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention, delivered prior to the start of internship year, may be one way to combat this problem.”
In the randomized clinical trial conducted at two university hospitals, researchers assigned 199 generally healthy interns to two study groups and asked them to complete study activities lasting 30 minutes each week for four weeks prior to beginning their internship year. Participants assigned to the wCBT group completed online modules and those assigned to the attention-control group (ACG) received emails with general information about depression, suicidal thinking and local mental health professionals. All of the interns completed online assessments of suicidal ideation prior to the start of intern year and at 3-month intervals throughout their first year in practice.
Researchers discovered that interns were quite willing to take part in these web-based mental health activities, and interns assigned to the wCBT group were 60 percent less likely to endorse suicidal ideation during internship year, compared to those assigned to ACG control group. “With approximately 24,000 medical trainees beginning internship each year, dissemination of a pragmatic, no cost, acceptable and efficacious prevention program could have substantial public health benefits,” Guille said.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 13,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $2.2 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute designated center) Level I Trauma Center and Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit muschealth.org.
