Introducing the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS): An Evidence-based Tool for Addressing Suicide in Mental Health Services

In this course, Dr. Eoin Galavan, Ph.D., lead for the North Dublin, Adult Mental Health, Suicide Assessment and Treatment Service, overviews the philosophy, procedure, and content of the CAMS model, including the Suicide Status Form. An evidence-based approach to addressing suicidality, CAMS has over 30 years of research exploring its application, including eight correlational trials and four published randomised controlled trials supporting efficacy. The CAMS facilitates a cooperative orientation of care for suicidal people, prizing the suicidal person’s point of view on what is driving their suicidal struggle. The CAMS helps clinicians develop a thorough record of treatment planning, risk assessment, and risk management, co-authored with the suicidal person. Suitable for use across a variety of clinical environments, the CAMS has been successfully adopted into a myriad of settings in many different countries worldwide. This session focuses on its application in a public adult mental health setting and includes review of the Suicide Status Form, the core assessment tool in the CAMS. The session concludes with a short Q&A segment with Dr. Galavan.