Help-Seeking Needs Related to Suicide Prevention for Individuals in Contact With Mental Health Services: A Rapid Scoping Review.
Hwayeon Danielle Shin, Jessica Kemp, Samantha Groves and 4 others
PMID 39244728WHAT IT FOUND
People already using mental health services often avoided asking for suicide help because of distrust, stigma, or negative care.
Supportive relationships, inclusive questions, follow-up, and crisis lines were reported to help people seek support.
Key findings
01Barriers to help seeking were most commonly reported at individual and organisational levels, including distrust and prior negative experiences.
02Men aged over 50 with previous mental health inpatient care were more likely to explicitly not disclose current suicidal thoughts and behaviours than those with outpatient or no previous care.
03Positive interactions with healthcare professionals, inclusive questions about identity, and follow-up services were reported to facilitate help seeking.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not assess the methodological quality of the 42 included studies, so some evidence may be weak. The search was limited to English-language articles and did not include grey literature, so findings may miss work in other languages or unpublished studies. The frequency counts of barriers and facilitators are not appropriate to infer a hierarchy, and the review did not combine studies statistically. Only one included study reported indigeneity, so the review found limited evidence about Indigenous peoples who are accessing care. The review did not extensively discuss how barriers and intersectional identities affect individuals differently.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the counts of barriers and facilitators as proof that any strategy works. The review did not assess study quality or test interventions, and it warns that frequency counts are not appropriate to infer a hierarchy.