Suicide is a global public health problem that causes the loss of more than 800,000 lives each year, principally among young people. In Brazil, the average mortality rate attributable to suicide is approximately 5.23 per 100,000 population. Although many guidelines have been published for the management of suicidal behavior, to date, there are no recent guidelines based on the principles of evidence-based medicine that apply to the reality of suicide in Brazil. The objective of this work is to provide key guidelines for managing patients with suicidal behavior in Brazil. This project involved 11 Brazilian psychiatry professionals selected by the Psychiatric Emergencies Committee (Comissã o de Emergê ncias Psiquiá tricas) of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association for their experience and knowledge in psychiatry and psychiatric emergencies. For the development of these guidelines, 79 articles were reviewed (from 5,362 initially collected and 755 abstracts). In this review, we present definitions, risk and protective factors, assessments, and an introduction to the Safety Plan. Systematic review registry number: CRD42020206517

This article continues our presentation of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association guidelines for the management of patients with suicidal behavior, with a focus on screening, intervention, postvention, prevention, and promotion. For the development of these guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of the MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, and SciELO databases for research published from 1997 to 2020. Systematic reviews, clinical trials, and cohort/observational studies on screening, intervention, and prevention in suicidal behavior were included. This project involved 14 Brazilian psychiatry professionals and 1 psychologist selected by the Psychiatric Emergencies Committee of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association for their experience and knowledge in psychiatry and psychiatric emergencies. Publications were evaluated according to the 2011 Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM) Levels of Evidence Classification. Eightyfive articles were reviewed (of 5,362 initially collected and 755 abstracts on the drug approach). Forms of screening, intervention, and prevention are presented. The intervention section presents evidence for psychotherapeutic and drug interventions. For the latter, it is important to remember that each medication is effective only for specific groups and should not replace treatment protocols. We maintain our recommendation for the use of universal screening plus intervention. Although the various studies differ in terms of the populations evaluated and several proposals are presented, there is already significant evidence for certain interventions. Suicidal behavior can be analyzed by evidence-based medicine protocols. Currently, the best strategy is to combine several techniques through the Safety Plan. Nevertheless, further research on the topic is needed to elucidate some approaches with particular potential for intervention and prevention.

Crisis hotlines are direct communication systems, usually telephone-based, set up to prevent suicide. However, few studies have evaluated their effectiveness. The present study aims to perform a systematic review, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, of the effectiveness of interventions through direct communication systems to reduce the number of suicides or suicide attempts. We searched the MEDLINE, Cochrane, SciELO, and ClinicaTrials.gov databases, and used the 2011 Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence classification. The literature search yielded 267 studies, of which 35 fulfilled the selection criteria. Although significant heterogeneity was found among studies, there is evidence that direct telephone interventions are effective when included in broader preventive protocols and provided by trained staff. Despite the limitations, which included heterogeneity of samples, designs, and outcome measures, we were able to design a protocol for the use of remote services to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. A hotline or similar system could be an effective intervention for broader suicide prevention programs. However, further research is necessary to specify which protocol components are key to enhance effectiveness. Systematic review registry number: PROSPERO CRD42020206517

Neste artigo discutiremos as competências da Matriz de Competências do Programa de Residência Médica em Psiquiatria e a importância de cada uma delas. Na construção da atual matriz de competências da Residência Médica em Psiquiatria foram consideradas a seguintes habilidades a serem adquiridas e de domínio dos futuros especialistas da área: Diagnosticar, tratar e prevenir de forma precisa doenças ou transtornos mentais; Dominar ferramentas clínicas e exames complementares para o diagnóstico e o tratamento das diversas doenças ou transtornos mentais nas diferentes faixas etárias; Desenvolver relação respeitosa e produtiva com pacientes, familiares e demais profissionais da área da saúde, em diferentes contextos culturais. Dominar as interações entre a psicopatologia, genética, neurobiologia, biografia, história médica, personalidade e relações do paciente no desenvolvimento de uma compreensão do indivíduo em seu contexto cultural e social; Dominar a indicação, realização e acompanhamento de psicoterapias, psicofarmacoterapia e outros tratamentos para doenças ou transtornos mentais; Aplicar a atividade pericial em psiquiatria; Dominar ferramentas de prevenção, promoção da saúde e recuperação das doenças ou transtornos mentais. Tais habilidades foram descritas no item objetivos. Com este novo documento fica estabelecida a formação mínima de um médico psiquiatra e auxilia na criação de formas de avaliação específicas.