This program is for adults who have deliberately poisoned themselves and who go to an emergency room for treatment.

Brief Psychological Intervention after Deliberate Self-Poisoning, a community-based program, is designed to decrease the incidence of suicidal ideation and repeat self-injury episodes.

A randomized controlled trial of the Brief Psychological Intervention after Deliberate Self-Poisoning program found that patients experienced significantly less suicidal ideation and fewer episodes of self-harm than patients with a usual emergency room (ER) treatment plan at a 6-month follow-up assessment.  Patients were also significantly more satisfied with their treatment program as compared to those with usual ER treatment plans.

The Brief Psychological Intervention after Deliberate Self-Poisoning program seeks to identify and resolve interpersonal problems, which can trigger feelings of distress or exacerbate existing psychological issues and lead to other incidences of self-harm.

This intervention uses four psychodynamic interpersonal therapy sessions. These sessions are implemented by supervised nurse therapists in the patient's home. Sessions are delivered within the same week that the patient visited the ER during a self-poisoning episode.

Previous use information for this program was not located.

A standardized training manual and training are available for this program. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.

Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting licensed nurse therapists who have experience and skill in interpersonal therapy, obtaining patient and hospital administrator buy-in and consent, and finding time and personnel to implement sessions in the patient's home.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing Brief Psychological Intervention after Deliberate Self-Poisoning, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you! Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

This program is implemented in four 50-minute sessions that are delivered weekly in the patient's home for 1 month.  Facilitators may want to consider allocating time for assessment of patient progress.

Implementation costs include the purchase of a standardized training manual, training, and the cost of therapy sessions held in the patient's home. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.

To move the Brief Psychological Intervention after Deliberate Self-Poisoning program to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence at least two evaluations must be conducted that demonstrate sustained, positive outcomes. One of these studies must be conducted independently of the program developer.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Dr. Elspeth Guthrie by phone +44(0) 113 343 2442, email E.A.Guthrie@leeds.ac.uk or visit https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/medicine/staff/386/professor-else-guthrie

https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/brief-psychological-intervention-after-deliberate-self-poisoning and Guthrie et al. (2001).