Family intervention for suicide prevention: a specialized emergency department intervention for suicidal youths

Suicide attempts and suicidal ideation are common problems among youths seen in clinical practice. Despite the high risk of repeated suicidal behavior in these patients, clinicians are faced with a lack of empirically supported treatments for these youths. This article describes the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention (FISP), a second-generation adaptation of the Specialized Emergency Room Intervention, an evidence-based practice. Although designed for use in emergency settings, the FISP can be used by practitioners working in a wide range of settings where youths present with suicidal emergencies. Rooted in cognitive-behavioral and family systems theory, the FISP is designed to mobilize family support and problem solving, reframe the suicide attempt as a critical event that requires treatment, reinforce more adaptive coping, motivate patients and families to initiate and adhere to follow-up treatment, and promote linkage to follow-up care. This approach can be used with a wide range of patients and offers an evidence-informed tool for practicing clinicians.