Automated text messages can provide crucial support for kids considering suicide Kids who got the messages following a suicidal crisis felt more hopeful and supported They said they would love to keep getting the messages if possible FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Kids considering suicide after receiving mental health care at a hospital can be helped by automated text messages that help them feel hopeful and supported, a new study finds. Children receiving the texts as part of a program called Caring Contacts said they felt more positive after receiving the messages.
“Prior research has shown that patients are around 300 times more at risk of suicide in the first week after hospital discharge, and 200 times more at risk over the first month compared to the general population,” said senior researcher John Ackerman , a child clinical psychologist and suicide prevention clinical manager for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. “Reaching patients where they are in their day-to-day lives is crucial in supporting them before, during and after a crisis,” Ackerman added in a hospital news release. “That also means ensuring messages of hope and validation are accessible with the technology they use most -- their phones.
" Caring Contacts include supportive text messages with accompanying images meant to promote hope, inclusivity and connection, researchers said. The messages also include contacts for crisis res.