Use of no-suicide contracts by psychiatrists in Minnesota.
OBJECTIVE
The no-suicide contract is widely recommended as an important intervention in the care of suicidal patients; however, there are no data demonstrating its effectiveness or its acceptance in the professional community. This study examines the use of no-suicide contracts by psychiatrists in Minnesota.


METHODS
A postcard questionnaire was mailed to 514 psychiatrists in Minnesota inquiring about their practices and experiences with no-suicide contracts.


RESULTS
There were 267 responses, yielding a response rate of 52%. No-suicide contracts were used by 152 (57%) of the respondents. Within this group, 62 (41%) of the psychiatrists had patients who committed suicide or made serious attempts after entering into a no-suicide contract.


CONCLUSIONS
Among the respondents to the questionnaire, slightly more than half used no-suicide contracts, indicating that such contracts are not universally accepted as standard practice among these psychiatrists. More data are needed to determine the effectiveness of no-suicide contracts in preventing suicide.
Kroll
J
J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, 55454-1495, USA. kroll001@.tc.umn.edu
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008910:Minnesota; D005791:Patient Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011177:Postal Service; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012308:Risk Management / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention