A survey of mental health providers’ attitudes towards suicide risk assessment and intervention

There is a paucity of research on mental health providers’ attitudes towards suicide risk assessment and intervention. This study aimed to assess providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with suicide risk assessment and intervention. One hundred and thirty-four mental health providers, including mental health counsellors, clinical and counselling psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatrists, were surveyed. The study revealed training gaps and identified a complex pattern where providers simultaneously reported confidence in their assessment abilities while expressing strong interest in additional training and better tools. Item-level analyses indicated that providers endorse the importance of suicide risk assessment and express scepticism towards traditional practices such as no-suicide contracts, while showing moderate concern about the potential negative effects of psychiatric hospitalisation. Newer providers held more favourable attitudes towards hospitalisation, while more experienced providers spent more time on risk assessments. The findings reinforce the need to integrate suicide risk assessment and interventions into routine training of providers.