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Recent Advances in Means Safety as a Suicide Prevention Strategy

  • Mood Disorders (MA Oquendo and MF Grunebaum, Section Editors)
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Abstract

Despite advances in theory and the development and implementation of evidence-based treatments, the United States suicide rate has been rising continuously for over a decade. Although this does not indicate that traditional treatment approaches should be abandoned, it does highlight the need to supplement such approaches with alternatives. One seemingly highly valuable option is means safety, defined as the reduced access to and/or increased safe storage of potentially lethal methods for suicide. This paper provides a review of the current literature on the prevalence of six methods for suicide and preventative efforts aimed to reduce suicide rates. The majority of means safety interventions seem promising given that these methods are common and highly lethal. However, cultural and practical barriers will need to be taken into consideration when implementing these plans. Overall, means safety efforts and preventative measures seem to be promising ways to reduce the national suicide rate if implemented.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Box #5025, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA

    Hyejin M. Jin, Lauren R. Khazem & Michael D. Anestis

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  1. Hyejin M. Jin
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  2. Lauren R. Khazem
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  3. Michael D. Anestis
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Correspondence to Michael D. Anestis.

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Hyejin M. Jin, Lauren, R. Khazem, and Michael D. Anestis declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mood Disorders

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Jin, H.M., Khazem, L.R. & Anestis, M.D. Recent Advances in Means Safety as a Suicide Prevention Strategy. Curr Psychiatry Rep 18, 96 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0731-0

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