Efficacy of Crisis Intervention
Abstract
This study assesses the efficacy of the treatment approach implemented in the Bern Crisis Intervention Program, where particular emphasis is placed on the remediation of suicide ideation and suicidal behavior, and depression, fear, and phobia are generally considered to be contributing factors. Four questionnaires addressing psychopathology, emotional well-being, social anxiety, and personality were administered prior to and after the treatment of 51 patients over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. The reduction of symptoms contributing to suicidal ideation and behavior was interpreted as indirect evidence of an antisuicidal effect of the program. Significant improvements were found in the psychopathology ratings, with depression and anxiety showing the largest reductions. The impact on personality and social phobia, however, was only moderate, and on average patients still exhibited symptoms after attending the program. This residual symptomatology points to the necessity of introducing a two-step therapy approach of intensive intervention targeted at the precipitating causes of the crisis, augmented by long-term therapy to treat underlying problems.
References
(1993). Differences among adolescent, young adult and adult callers of suicide help lines. Social Work, 38, 421–428
(1994). Beck-Depressions-Inventar: Testhandbuch. Bern: Huber
(1990). Der Giessen-Test (GT): Ein Test für Individual- und Gruppendiagnostik. Bern: Huber
(1964). Principles of preventive psychiatry. New York: Basis Books
(1977). Krise und Krisenintervention in der modernen Psychiatie. Schweizerische Medizinische Wocheschrift, 10, 893–898
(1995). Cost effectiveness over 10 years: A study of community-based social psychiatry in the 1980s. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 30, 171–184
(1992). Intervention de crise: processus de focalisation et évolution à long terme des patients. L'Encéphale, 28, 639–645
(1990). In-patient crisis intervention: The range of indications. Psychiatrische Praxis, 17, 216–223
(1994). SCL-90-R: Die Symptom-Checkliste von Derogatis—Deutsche Version. Weinheim: Beltz
(1983). Die Beurteilung des Suizidrisikos. Social- und Präventivmedizin / Médecine sociale et préventive, 28, 71–75
(1993). Hopelessness and the tendency to commit suicide in the course of depressive disorders. Crisis, 14, 173–177
(1996). Suizidalität bei Depressionen mit begleitender Angstsymptomatik. Psychiatrische Praxis, 23, 135–138
(1992). Attempted suicide: Efficacy of different aftercare strategies. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 6, (Suppl. 6) 58–69
(1989). Crisis invtervention within the framework of an acute psychiatric general ward. Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und medizinische Psychologie, 39, 374–379
(1995). Crisis intervention in contemporary society: Contributions from critical theory. Crisis Intervention, 1, 177–189
(1995). Help negation after acute suicidal crisis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 499–503
(1997). Intensive In-patient and community intervention versus routine care after attempted suicide—A randomized controlled intervention study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 35–41
Patient characteristics and outcome in crisis intervention (in preparation).
(1991). Young suicide attempters compared with a control group: Psychological, affective, and attitudinal variables. Suicide and Live-Threatening Behavior, 21, 134–151
(1986). Krisenbewältigung. Dialog. Information Ehe und Familie. Dialog spezial, 4, 1–10
(1996). The dynamics of psychosocial crisis—Time courses and causal models. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 184(3), 172–179
(1978). Das Emotionalitätsinventar als Befindlichkeitsmass (Testmappe EMI-B). München: Pfeiffer
(1977). Der Unsicherheitsfragebogen (Testmanual U). München: Pfeiffer
(1991). Empfehlungen beim Umgang mit Suizidalität bei Depressiven. Suizidprophylaxe, 18, 27–37
(1990). Suicide risk in suicidal versus nonsuicidal depressed inpatients. Crisis, 11, 85–97
