There was not a good place to put this in the piece or the footnotes but I do also want to point out that the statement in the Times piece that "there’s no medication for suicidal behavior. The medication is for depression and anxiety, and the patient needs to learn other behavioral skills that the medication does not teach you" is actually not accurate. Spravato (Esketamine) has had this very indication since 2020-- and better yet, the indication is for "acute" suicidal ideation and behavior: https://www.empr.com/home/news/spravato-esketamine-nasal-spray-major-depressive-disorder/. The thing is, that is for suicidal ideation in the context of major depressive disorder and not borderline personality disorder so I believe the quote is from someone who was talking about SI in the context of BPD alone. Different situation and because the Times did such a terrible job and didn't even mention BPD once in the article, we get sentences like that which make us psychiatrists say "hold up, stop hating on meds." It is not meds vs. therapy. It is whatever works for a given patient for their constellation of symptoms.
Thanks. As always you beat me to the punch.
-Vint Blackburn MD - child/adolescent/adult psychiatrist
There was not a good place to put this in the piece or the footnotes but I do also want to point out that the statement in the Times piece that "there’s no medication for suicidal behavior. The medication is for depression and anxiety, and the patient needs to learn other behavioral skills that the medication does not teach you" is actually not accurate. Spravato (Esketamine) has had this very indication since 2020-- and better yet, the indication is for "acute" suicidal ideation and behavior: https://www.empr.com/home/news/spravato-esketamine-nasal-spray-major-depressive-disorder/. The thing is, that is for suicidal ideation in the context of major depressive disorder and not borderline personality disorder so I believe the quote is from someone who was talking about SI in the context of BPD alone. Different situation and because the Times did such a terrible job and didn't even mention BPD once in the article, we get sentences like that which make us psychiatrists say "hold up, stop hating on meds." It is not meds vs. therapy. It is whatever works for a given patient for their constellation of symptoms.