Teresa Lovins, MD

Teresa Lovins, MD, talked with Patient Care about suicidal ideation among patients and then focused on asking her colleagues to make their own mental health a priority.

The phone call can be short, but the outreach and contact are key after a patient with suicidal ideation is referred for emergency or inpatient support, Lovins says.

Family physician Teresa Lovins, MD, highlights key community mental health resources primary care clinicians should know to support patients in crisis.

Family physician Teresa Lovins, MD, explains how primary care clinicians can determine when to manage depression and when urgent referral is needed.

Teresa Lovins, MD, describes the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other brief screeners that help family physicians identify depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder in everyday practice.

Primary care clinicians see a higher share of visits for depression than mental health professionals largely because they know their patients so well, Lovins said.

Teresa Lovins, MD, highlights a study that showed a 14% increase in rates of safety planning within 2 weeks of a negative screening led to a 25% decrease in attempted suicides.

Teresa Lovins, MD, sees at least 1 or 2 patients a week who have suicidal ideation. Too many of them are at risk for an attempt within a month of those visits.

Mental health issues affect half the population at some point during a lifetime. Teresa Lovins, MD, says FPs are often the first to learn that "something is going on."

Suicide prevention falls squarely in the purview of primary care practitioners, says family physician Teresa Lovins, MD. She reviews an intervention with remarkable results.