Trauma-Informed Care and Suicide

What is it?

 Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach that asks: “What happened to you?”  as opposed to “What is wrong with you?” (Rosenberg, 2011). TIC ensures people receive the care they need based on the impact of previous experiences. It is a holistic approach to care and can both prevent the individual from experiencing further trauma as well as help them recover from previous experiences. Trauma informed care can be used in hospitals, psychiatrist offices, rehabilitation centres, and community centres.

What can cause trauma?

• sexual and physical abuse;
• exposure to war, suicide, murder, and accidents (Klinic, 2013)

How is trauma-informed care implemented?

Health Care Providers are:

• well-informed about trauma;
• empathetic;
• compassionate;
• self-aware;
• flexible; and
• able to emotionally connect to patient’s trauma experience (Harris & Fallot, 2001 and Klinic, 2013)

Four facts about trauma-informed care and suicide:

1. Patients need to feel safe and comfortable enough to share trauma experiences with providers
2. Trauma survivors are the majority of clients who end up in human services systems
3. A traumatized person becomes at risk of suicide when they cope with their trauma in unhealthy ways
4. Individuals who experience trauma may be at a higher risk for suicide than those who have not experienced trauma

How can we prevent trauma-based suicide?

• Education and Awareness
• An assumption of trauma
• Screening for trauma
• Resiliency can offset the negative outcomes of trauma