They Told Me “This Isn’t a Hotel”: Young People’s Experiences and Perceptions of Care When Presenting to the Emergency Department with Suicide-Related Behaviour

Jacinta Freeman, Penelope Strauss, Sharynne Hamilton, Charlotte Pugh, Katherine Browne, Suzanne Caren, Chris Harris, Lyn Millett, Warwick Smith and Ashleigh Lin
Additional contact information
Jacinta Freeman: Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Penelope Strauss: Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Sharynne Hamilton: Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Charlotte Pugh: Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Katherine Browne: Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia, 469 Wellington Street, Perth, WA 6000, Australia
Suzanne Caren: Headspace, 64 Morrison Road, Midland, WA 6056, Australia
Chris Harris: Mineral Resources Limited, 1 Sleat Road, Applecross, WA 6153, Australia
Lyn Millett: Australian Childhood Foundation, P.O. Box 3485, East Perth, WA 6892, Australia
Warwick Smith: Cochair Youth Mental Health Subnetwork, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Ashleigh Lin: Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: In Australia, the number of young people presenting to the emergency department with mental health concerns, in particular, suicidal behaviour (defined here as suicidal ideation, thoughts, intent and attempts) is increasing. Little is known about the experiences of Australian young people who present to hospital emergency departments with suicidal behaviour. In this qualitative study, we conducted a series of focus groups with 55 young people aged 16–25 years, with a view to developing a framework for youth suicide prevention for Western Australia. The data were analysed using a general inductive analysis approach. We explored the experiences and perceptions of the care and management of 35 young people presenting to Western Australian hospital emergency departments. Participants described a range of negative experiences relating to the emergency department environment, staff attitudes and their treatment by staff. We argue that adapting ED practices and approaches to young people presenting with suicidal thoughts and behaviours based on these findings will result in lower rates of repeated presentations and admissions to hospital and lower rates of suicide attempts and deaths by suicide.

Keywords: suicidal behaviour; emergency department young people; experiences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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