Toward Improving Treatment Adherence among Adolescent Suicide Attempters

Adolescent suicide attempts are increasing. However, therapy is often not received following the attempt, and psychiatric symptoms, psychosocial problems and suicidality usually persist. Interventions in the emergency room are proposed as a means of enhancing treatment adherence among adolescent suicide attempters and their families. Pediatric physicians, psychiatric residents, psychiatric child fellows, nurses, security personnel and admitting clerks, can be retrained to increase treatment adherence by improving interactions between emergency-room staff and the families, changing the families' expectations regarding therapy and establishing a contract for short-term treatment with the attempters and their families.