Citation

Riblet NBV, Shiner B, Young-Xu Y, Watts BV. Br. J. Psychiatry 2017; 210(6): 396-402.

Affiliation

Natalie B. V. Riblet, MD, MPH, Brian Shiner, MD, MPH, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA; Yinong Young-Xu, DSc, MS, Bradley V. Watts, MD, MPH, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.116.187799

PMID

28428338

Abstract

BackgroundFew randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have shown decreases in suicide.AimsTo identify interventions for preventing suicide.

METHODWe searched EMBASE and Medline from inception until 31 December 2015. We included RCTs comparing prevention strategies with control. We pooled odds ratios (ORs) for suicide using the Peto method.

RESULTSAmong 8647 citations, 72 RCTs and 6 pooled analyses met inclusion criteria. Three RCTs (n = 2028) found that the World Health Organization (WHO) brief intervention and contact (BIC) was associated with significantly lower odds of suicide (OR = 0.20, 95% CI 0.09-0.42). Six RCTs (n = 1040) of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for suicide prevention and six RCTs of lithium (n = 619) yielded non-significant findings (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-1.03 and OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.05-1.02, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSThe WHO BIC is a promising suicide prevention strategy. No other intervention showed a statistically significant effect in reducing suicide.

© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

Language: en