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The CAMS Approach to Suicidal Risk with David A. J ...
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Dr. David Jobes presented a comprehensive webinar on the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), an evidence-based therapeutic framework focused on suicide risk assessment and intervention, sponsored by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. CAMS centers on empathy, collaboration, transparency, and targeting suicide drivers—specific reasons that make individuals contemplate suicide—rather than diagnoses alone. A key tool in CAMS is the Suicide Status Form (SSF), which guides assessment, treatment planning, and stabilization, emphasizing lethal means safety and coping strategies. The approach is highly patient-centered, positioning the patient as the expert on their experience and fostering motivation to live.<br /><br />The historical context clarified how traditional mental health treatments often focused on control and hospitalization, which may not reduce suicide risk effectively. CAMS aims to keep most suicidal individuals safely treated outpatient when possible, contrasting with standard involuntary hospitalization models, which have mixed evidence and can increase risk.<br /><br />Multiple clinical trials, including randomized controlled trials, demonstrate CAMS’s effectiveness in significantly reducing suicidal ideation, symptom distress, and hopelessness, and improving hope and treatment retention. Data suggest CAMS is cost-effective and feasible in various settings, including telehealth and emergency psychiatry (e.g., empath units). While evidence for reducing suicide attempts is promising but not conclusive, integration with other therapies like DBT shows complementary benefits.<br /><br />Adaptations for adolescents include involvement of parents through stabilization support plans. Large ongoing trials investigate combining CAMS with somatic treatments like ECT and ketamine. Training for CAMS includes online modules, role-play, and consultation. The model supports workforce expansion by training clinicians and trainees, improving confidence and competence.<br /><br />In summary, CAMS represents a paradigm shift toward collaborative, suicide-focused, flexible care that is grounded in research, offering an alternative to traditional, more coercive and less effective interventions.
Keywords
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality
CAMS
suicide risk assessment
Suicide Status Form
evidence-based therapy
suicide intervention
patient-centered care
lethal means safety
randomized controlled trials
outpatient treatment
adolescent suicide prevention
telehealth psychiatry
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