Evaluation of a community-based brief intervention service for youth in crisis with suicidal ideation or self-harm

Aim

To evaluate the implementation of a mixed virtual and in-person brief intervention for young people, aged 12–25 years, presenting to a large urban mental health service in crisis with suicidal ideation and/or self-harm.

Methods

A pragmatic, real-world evaluation was conducted on the Youth Brief Intervention Service between June 2021 (inception) and October 2022. Service users were offered four sessions over an approximate one-month period. Sessions focused on distress tolerance, safety plans and support systems. Implementation outcomes related to service uptake, retention, fidelity of the model and service user experience. Effectiveness outcomes were measured pre-post and included mental health-related hospital service utilization (primary outcome), functioning, mental health status, self-harm, suicidal ideation and quality of life.

Results

Of the 136 young people referred to the Youth Brief Intervention Service, 99 were accepted with 17 disengaging before the first session. Eighty percent of people who commenced, completed the package of care. Young persons' and parent/carers experience of service was high (97% and 88%, respectively). Mental health-related emergency department presentations and inpatient days decreased from 3 months pre-intake to 3 months post-intake (42 vs. 7 presentations, X ² = 25.3, p < .001; 11 vs. 0 inpatient days, X ² = 9.1, p = .01). There were significant improvements in mental health status, days engaging in self-harm, general health and functioning and quality of life.

Conclusions

The Youth Brief Intervention Service is feasible, acceptable, subjectively beneficial and coincided with less mental health-related emergency department presentations and inpatient days, and improved mental health status and behaviour.