A consumer's perspective of a suicide intervention programme.
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a suicide intervention program from a consumer perspective. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to consumers who had been referred to a suicide intervention counsellor in the 2-year period of the programme in rural southwest Western Australia. Three-quarters of respondents were positive about their experience with the service, with half of the respondents no longer having thoughts of suicide and only 20% of all respondents reporting having attempted deliberate self-harm postcounselling. Reported suicidal ideation and attempted self-harm were much higher in the dissatisfied group. Dissatisfaction of respondents stemmed from the history of their treatment and 'the hassle created by the many systems for them to access care'. However, the overall outcome of this study is that, from the consumer's perspective, a high intensity approach to suicide intervention resolved or improved the presenting problem and their ability to deal with it.
Aoun
S
S
WA Centre for Rural Health and Community Development, Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia. samar.aoun@health.wa.gov.au
Johnson
L
L
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards*; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014904:Western Australia