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Article: Primary care is often first stop for suicidal vets.(PSYCHIATRY)(veterans)(Report)
- Article from:
- Internal Medicine News
- Article date:
- June 15, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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MONTREAL -- Suicide screening can be done quickly and easily for veterans attending routine primary care visits, according to Hani Shabana, Ph.D., of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Va.
"Primary care is a largely untapped resource" for suicide prevention in this population, he said, noting evidence that many suicides are completed within days of a primary care visit.
"Many veterans are prone to things like chronic pain, posttraumatic stress syndrome, and depression, and there is a push within Veterans Affairs to get mental health providers integrated into the primary care setting," he said at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral ...