PREVENTING SUICIDE: A SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS PROCESS

This conference grant from a consortium of federal agencies will support five annual conferences. The central theme of the series is the integration of public health oriented prevention efforts and clinical interventions to reduce the frequency of suicide and serious attempts in critical populations—youth and young adults, elders, men in their middle years, and women.  There will be an emphasis on translating the findings from risk factor research into practical methods of prevention, with an evidence-based approach to the evaluation of these interventions. An expected outcome is the foundation for an NIH Consensus Development Conference on the management and prevention of suicidal behavior.

Suicide Prevention in Youth and Young Adults-Year I
June 13-14, 2001
Bethesda, Maryland

Suicide Prevention in Later Life-Year II
June 12-13, 2002
Washington, DC

Suicide Prevention in Men in Their Middle Years-Year III
June 11-12, 2003
Washington, DC

The University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, under the direction of Eric D. Caine, M.D., and Yeates Conwell, M.D., has been awarded NIH funding with co-sponsorship by NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA, NINR, and other NIH institutes, as well as SAMHSA and CDC to develop a scientific consensus process devoted to defining and disseminating the most effective methods of suicide prevention (E.D. Caine, P.I.).

This scientific consensus process model will address the following aims:

1. Develop a consensus among mental health and public health researchers, and among key community and political leaders, including governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, regarding those factors known to predict increased risk, or show protective benefit, for suicide or serious suicide attempts--across the age spectrum, within distinct population groups, and for each gender;

2. Systematically propose research to address areas of insufficient knowledge regarding risk factors specific to critical populations (i.e., those accounting for the greatest amount of burden due to morbidity and mortality), while examining as well those factors that protect similarly vulnerable individuals;

3. Utilize evidence-based approaches to review scientific data regarding the effectiveness of proposed or tested methods to reduce suicide, including population-oriented and high-risk approaches, as well as suicidal behaviors and their attendant morbidity;

4. Foster consensus on the best methods for population-oriented universal prevention, and preventive-clinical interventions to treat those individuals and groups who have been identified as being at highest risk;

5. Aggressively disseminate research findings and workshop recommendations to the scientific community, policy makers, and the public through a series of review publications and the use of electronic information and networking strategies.

Consensus Conference Structure

To address these aims, a series of annual consensus conferences will be held at various locations across the United States over the next five years. Each meeting will address a specific risk group and be centered around a general format which will include a systematic review of:

• the content area highlighting risk factors for the identified risk group
• the current prevention efforts underway for that risk group
• the outcomes research available related to these prevention efforts
• recommendations for future population-oriented and high-risk oriented research
• R-13 Overview