How do you talk to a patient experiencing suicidal ideation? What if you're the one having these thoughts?
We're interviewing James Boomhower from Stay Fit 4 Duty in this episode. We discuss suicidal ideation, therapeutic communication, and verbal de-escalation.
Podcast:
We're not able to adequately measure suicidal ideation and mental health crises in terms of vital signs or a physical assessment, so our communication skills need to be honed to reach these patients - it takes a different mindset. While EMS is not definitive care for a mental health crisis, EMS can certainly intervene in a very important way and hopefully change the trajectory of someone's life for the better. We'll further break this topic down in our upcoming Psychiatric Emergencies class inside FOAMfrat Studio - stay tuned!
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988. You can text, call, or even use WhatsApp. You can learn more about this lifeline here: https://988lifeline.org
If you want to hear from James and learn about his story, be sure to watch this short talk he gave.
Enjoy the podcast, and always remember that help is available for those brave enough to reach out.
- The FOAMfrat Team
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