Patient suicide is a result of a complex, troubled mental health situation that is often aggravated by addiction to opioids. People who are suffering from depression, chronic physical pain, and trauma are vulnerable to suicidal thoughts. Clinicians have to know how to discern and gauge the risk a patient is to himself, to inflict self harm. They should also regularly examine those who have succumbed the suicidal thoughts to understand each death. This is because each case brings new information that can be used to help others. One such piece of information is understanding suicidal trance. This is called the threshold of no return where hopelessness has taken over a patient. Before a patient reaches this trance-like state, there are signs like a growing despondency, withdrawal, and increasing depression and feelings of inadequacies. Celebrity suicides are examples of people who have problems that others do not notice resulting in a ruling of “accidental death.” Three celebrities who have died this way are Heath Ledger (age 28), Philip Seymour Hoffman (age 46), and Amy Winehouse (age 27). Could there deaths have been prevented if someone was alert enough to see through the glitz and glamour? Although it is difficult to predict when a patient will cross over to this state of suicidal trance, intense attention to detail by clinicians is valuable and can be used to save lives.
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By Richard Kensington CSW Depression, pain, opioids and suicidality create a complex clinical presentation for therapists to unwind. …read more 
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