I’m sure a lot of people reading this article are depressed… At the very least you should have a good chat with a friend.. Chances are that ur friend was/is feeling down and they will relate and understand :)

Totally agree. There are tons of co- factors. If a holistic approach is used where even a handful of these problems are addressed it can mean the difference between living and dying. Walking has been clinically shown to be 2-3 times more effective that anti-depressants, without the unwanted effects- which ironically include suicidal thoughts.
We’re becoming more aware of mental health but we need simple advice. Eat right, sleep optimally, go for a walk in natural sunlight, get off drugs (both prescription and street drugs).

I agree a holistic approach is required, but your facts are only partly correct. Exercise is more beneficial than antidepressants in mild depressive disorders, not on its own in moderate and severe episodes. All treatment should be a mixture of talking therapies, activity, and there is a role for medication. And having a good sleep pattern is not always achievable as it is a symptom of depression, and sleep disturbance is one of the diagnostic criteria. I work in the area and see many many people recover from depression with an all inclusive approach, and see the benefit of medication on a daily basis. It is about finding the right medication, and minimal dose for each person.

I don’t have any experience working in this area and I value your insight, but studies continually show that antidepressants in fact worsen depression over time- those on the placebo showed no change. Medicine has a role to play in the short term but it’s side effects are brushed off by the pharma industry and less conventional, less toxic treatments are labelled as quackery- Dr. Abram Hoffer’s success with niacin for example.

Reference to one of the studies: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1107437

I can counter your paper with numerous others saying the opposite, but 15 years treating patients, and constantly reading the research on both sides tells me what works. I wish people could see the transformation in people’s lives when they receive the correct treatment, which for moderate to severe cases includes psychotropic medication.

Done.

SAMARITANS: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you
Helpline: 1850 609090
Email: jo@samaritans.org

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Hi Jone – all very valid points.

Your right on most fronts, our intention is to create a tool that’s objective and that can supplement existing tools, not replace them entirely. Regarding psychometrics, we too have lots of issues with the utility of that approach. They rely on individuals’ conscious access to the behavioural history in question, and this research is explicitly does not take a psychometric approach. Instead, these test rely on tiny reaction time differences to see what people have a practiced history of doing – a bit like how you can say the alphabet quickly in the normal direction, but are slower in the opposite direction. Of course, I have to disagree with you about our motives for working on these measures of course, we very much want to see them used and contribute something with real usefulness! Thanks for highlighting some key issues around the psychological measurement debate. :)

It’s not quite as simplistic as a computer based multiple choice programme. It is all to do with unconscious reactions and the speed of responses. This is the result of years of study, development, and only recent application to the area of suicide. It is early days.

Hi Cleo, thanks for the input.

I’m the lead researcher on this project. You are absolutely correct – compassion and human understanding are key. I’ve spoken to lots of people who have been through hospital admissions assessments for mental heath complaints and the one common theme that I hear back is that they disliked having to open up about some of their most personal and often very painful thoughts. This project’s goal is to produce an informative yet uninvasive tool to know where people are at.

What the article didn’t have space for is that people report that these tools are significantly less distressing that traditional assessment. Its hard to convey the scientific results without sounding clinical, but data and the intended uses are separate, and this work comes from a very person-centered approach.
-Ian

See Fr Muiredach Tuffy Memorial page on facebook. Lots of support links for suicide prevention and awareness. (Tried to post the link but got blocked)

I cannot put it a eloquently as Paul but he has a point….. this “tool” is dependent on someone already been under the care of a mental health pofessional…how many people with suicidal ideation actually get that far?

This IRAP is based on measuring unconscious reactions. It is being developed in Maynooth and has been used on a huge variety of topics. It is based on reactions rather than conscious thoughts. It is computer based, and you don’t have time to consciously respond to the questions being asked as it is both time and accuracy reliant. It is being tested on a range of topical issues. This wasn’t developed as a tool to identify suicidal thoughts, but it is nice to see that this new method of psychological investigation is being used to promising results in this new area.