Risk of Suicide and Severity of Depression in Patients with Severe Mental Disorders Receiving Home Care Along with Psychological Training, Anger Management, and Life Skills Training Versus Usual Clinical Care

Severe mental disorders impose a significant burden of illness directly on the patient and their caregivers. In this study, the prevalence of suicidal ideation and the severity of depression in patients who received home care were evaluated in comparison with other patients who experienced usual outpatient care. 

The study design was cross-sectional and the sample was assigned in two groups. Structured scale and inventory were used to evaluate the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and severity of depression among the patients. Beck Depression Inventory and Ideation for Suicide Beck Scale were utilized for this evaluation. The study was conducted from June 2019 to June 2020.

The total number of participants in the study was 71 patients. The results of multivariate analysis showed that the observed difference between the two groups in all components and in the total score of Beck Suicide Scale and Beck Depression Scale was statistically significant. Regarding Ideation for Suicide Beck Scale, the mean in the home visit group was 0.94 (standard deviation (SD)= 4.24) and in the Treatment as Usual (TAU) group was 3.83(SD =5.44) (p-value=0.016). Regarding Beck Depression Scale, the mean in the home visit group was 6.14(SD= 7.75) and in the TAU group was 11.17(SD= 9.18) (p-value=0.015).

It seems that home care for patients with severe mental disorders may be more effective than outpatient care in reducing suicidal ideation and severe depression. The use of longitudinal and multicenter studies with larger sample sizes can be effective in assessing the impact of home care on improving indicators of suicidal ideation and severity of depression.