Tag: drug policy

Reading of the Week: Can We Reduce Suicide in the Emergency Department Population? Also, Drugs & Crime

From the Editor

He presents to the Emergency Department a few days after a suicide attempt. What can we do to help keep this man safe today – and moving forward?

Emergency Departments: noisy, busy, and an opportunity for suicide prevention?

It’s a scenario that repeats itself at EDs across the country with regularity. This week, in our first selection, we consider a new JAMA Psychiatry paper that has just been published looking at suicide prevention in the ED population. The authors claim “this study is the largest suicide intervention trial ever conducted in the United States,” and they show that, with an intervention, they can reduce suicides and suicide attempts.

And, in the other selection, we look at a short New York Times essay in which economist Austin Frakt argues that substance programs pay for themselves in crime reduction.

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Reading of the Week: David Cameron’s “Life Chances” Speech, And More

From the Editor

As stigma fades, as mental health problems are recognized and discussed, we have an opportunity to re-think old approaches.

This week, the Readings touch on two large issues: how to handle mental illness in our society, and what to do about addiction and the law. The first comes from a recent speech by the Prime Minister of Britain; the second, from an editorial in The Lancet Psychiatry.

 

Readings have drawn from many sources over these past few years – journals, books, and newspapers. This is the first time we’ve looked to 10 Downing Street for material. But perhaps it wouldn’t be the last time. More and more, people discuss these issues with thoughtful comments; the political class can be counted among them. #Progress

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