THE FUSE

Often it’s assumed that after a person has been hospitalized for a suicide attempt, then released, the danger has diminished. In fact, the opposite is true. One study found that for men, the risk of suicide in the first week after discharge from a psychiatric hospital for an attempt is 102 times greater, while for women it’s 256 times greater.[1] A reason for this is the mistaken belief that when a person is discharged, doctors and nurses have dealt with the problem so loved ones can relax. On the contrary, loved ones need to get the person into longer-term care, such as counseling, to deal with root causes.