Postcards from the EDge project: randomised controlled trial of an intervention using postcards to reduce repetition of hospital treated deliberate self poisoning.
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an intervention using postcards (postcards from the EDge project) reduces repetitions of hospital treated deliberate self poisoning. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Regional referral service for general hospital treated deliberate self poisoning in Newcastle, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 772 patients aged over 16 years with deliberate self poisoning. INTERVENTION: Non-obligatory intervention using eight postcards over 12 months along with standard treatment compared with standard treatment alone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of patients with one or more repeat episodes of deliberate self poisoning and the number of repeat episodes for deliberate self poisoning per person in 12 months. RESULTS: The proportion of repeaters with deliberate self poisoning in the intervention group did not differ significantly from that in the control group (57/378, 15.1%, 95% confidence interval 11.5% to 18.7% v 68/394, 17.3%, 13.5% to 21.0%: difference between groups -2%, -7% to 3%). In unadjusted analysis the number of repetitions were significantly reduced (incidence risk ratio 0.55, 0.35 to 0.87). CONCLUSION: A postcard intervention reduced repetitions of deliberate self poisoning, although it did not significantly reduce the proportion of individual repeaters.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronically parasuicidal borderline patients
Linehan, M. M. (1991) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810360024003 · Cited by 2,203 · see citing works
Bateman, A., & Fonagy, P. (1999) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.156.10.1563 · Cited by 1,416 · see citing works
A New Design for Randomized Clinical Trials
Zelen, M. (1979) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm197905313002203 · Cited by 1,057 · see citing works
A randomized controlled trial of postcrisis suicide prevention.
Motto, J. A., & Bostrom, A. G. (2001) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.6.828 · Cited by 517 · see citing works
Hawton, K. E., Arensman, E., Townsend, E., Bremner, S., Feldman, E., Goldney, R. D., Gunnell, D., Hazell, P., van Heeringen, K., House, A. O., et al. (1998) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7156.441 · Cited by 426 · see citing works
Guthrie, E., Patton, G. C., Kapur, N., Mackway-Jones, K. C., Chew-Graham, C. A., Moorey, J., Mendel, E., Marino-Francis, F., Sanderson, S., Turpin, C., et al. (2001) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7305.135 · Cited by 394 · see citing works
Randomized consent designs for clinical trials: An update
Zelen, M. (1990) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.4780090611 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
Suicide Prevention for High‐Risk Persons Who Refuse Treatment <sup>*</sup>
Motto, J. A. (1976) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1111/j.1943-278x.1976.tb00880.x · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Understanding controlled trials: What is Zelen's design?
Torgerson, D. J., & Roland, M. O. (1998) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.316.7131.606 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
House, A. O., Owens, D., & Patchett, L. J. (1999) · BMJ Quality & Safety · doi:10.1136/qshc.8.2.137 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Psychosocial intervention following suicide attempt: a svstematic review of treatment interventions
van der Sande, R., Buskens, E., Allart, E., van der Graaf, Y., & van Engeland, H. (1997) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb09903.x · Cited by 80 · see citing works
A model for the management of self‐poisoning
Whyte, I. M., Dawson, A. H., Carter, G. L., Levey, C. M., & Buckley, N. A. (1997) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb138813.x · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Self-citationA survey of deliberate self‐poisoning
McGrath, J. J. (1989) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1989.tb136492.x · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Randomised consent designs in cancer clinical trials
Altman, D. G., Whitehead, J., Parmar, M., Stenning, S. P., Fayers, P. M., & Machin, D. (1995) · European Journal of Cancer · doi:10.1016/0959-8049(95)00470-x · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Preformatted admission charts for poisoning admissions facilitate clinical assessment and research
Buckler, N. A., Whyte, I. M., Dawson, A. H., & Reith, D. M. (1999) · Annals of Emergency Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0196-0644(99)80049-3 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationData Collection in Clinical Toxicology: Are There Too Many Variables?*
Whyte, I. M., Buckley, N. A., & Dawson, A. H. (2002) · Journal of Toxicology Clinical Toxicology · doi:10.1081/clt-120005492 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Self-citationTurnbull, D. A., Wilkinson, C., Gerard, K., Shanahan, M., Ryan, P., Griffith, E. C., Kruzins, G., & Stamp, G. E. (2004) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(04)15893-5 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
van Buuren, H. R., Rasch, M. C., Batenburg, P. L., et al. (2003) · BMC Gastroenterology · doi:10.1186/1471-230x-3-22 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- [2]2. House A, Owens D, Patchett L. Deliberate self-harm. Eff Health Care 1998;4:1-12.
- [5]5. Guthrie E, Kapur N, Mackway-Jones K, Chew-Graham C, Moorey J, Mendel E, et al. Randomised controlled trial of brief psychological intervention after deliberate self poisoning. BMJ 2001;323:135-8.
- [14]14. Torgerson DJ, Roland M. What is Zelen's design? BMJ 1998;316:606.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior
Bridge, J. A., Goldstein, T. R., & Brent, D. A. (2006) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01615.x · Cited by 1,361 · see citing works
Stanley, B., Brown, G. K., Brenner, L. A., Galfalvy, H. C., Currier, G. W., Knox, K. L., Chaudhury, S. R., Bush, A. L., & Green, K. L. (2018) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1776 · Cited by 648 · see citing works
Suicide and Suicidal Attempts in the United States: Costs and Policy Implications
Shepard, D. S., Gurewich, D., Lwin, A. K., Reed, G. A., & Silverman, M. M. (2016) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1111/sltb.12225 · Cited by 413 · see citing works
Psychosocial interventions following self-harm in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Hawton, K., Witt, K. G., Salisbury, T. L. T., Arensman, E., Gunnell, D., Hazell, P., Townsend, E., & van Heeringen, K. (2016) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30070-0 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Suicide risk assessment and intervention in people with mental illness
Bolton, J. M., Gunnell, D., & Turecki, G. (2015) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.h4978 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Luxton, D. D., June, J. D., & Comtois, K. A. (2013) · Crisis · doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000158 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Milner, A. J., Carter, G., Pirkis, J., Robinson, J., & Spittal, M. J. (2015) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147819 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
O'Connor, E., Gaynes, B. N., Burda, B. U., Soh, C., & Whitlock, E. P. (2013) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-158-10-201305210-00642 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Carter, G. L., Willcox, C. H., Lewin, T. J., Conrad, A. M., & Bendit, N. (2010) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/00048670903393621 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Self-citationCarter, G., Page, A., Large, M., Hetrick, S., Milner, A. J., Bendit, N., Walton, C., Draper, B., Hazell, P., Fortune, S., et al. (2016) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867416661039 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Self-citationTreatment engagement: a neglected aspect in the psychiatric care of suicidal patients.
Lizardi, D., & Stanley, B. (2010) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.2010.61.12.1183 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Comtois, K. A., Kerbrat, A. H., DeCou, C. R., Atkins, D. C., Majeres, J. J., Baker, J. C., & Ries, R. K. (2019) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4530 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Inagaki, M., Kawashima, Y., Kawanishi, C., Yonemoto, N., Sugimoto, T., Furuno, T., Ikeshita, K., Eto, N., Tachikawa, H., Shiraishi, Y., et al. (2015) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.12.048 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Green, J. M., Wood, A. J., Kerfoot, M. J., Trainor, G., Roberts, C., Rothwell, J., Woodham, A., Ayodeji, E., Barrett, B., Byford, S., et al. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d682 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Emergency departments are underutilized sites for suicide prevention
Larkin, G. L., & Beautrais, A. L. (2010) · Crisis · doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000001 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Suicide within two weeks of discharge from psychiatric inpatient care: a case-control study
Bickley, H., Hunt, I. M., Windfuhr, K., Shaw, J., Appleby, L., & Kapur, N. (2013) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201200026 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Postcard intervention for repeat self-harm: randomised controlled trial.
Beautrais, A. L., Gibb, S. J., Faulkner, A., Fergusson, D. M., & Mulder, R. T. (2010) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.075754 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Carter, G. L., Clover, K., Whyte, I. M., Dawson, A. H., & D'Este, C. (2013) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.112.112664 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Self-citationAssessment of selective and universal screening for suicide risk in a pediatric emergency department
DeVylder, J. E., Ryan, T. C., Cwik, M., Wilson, M. E., Jay, S., Nestadt, P. S., Goldstein, M., & Wilcox, H. C. (2019) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14070 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Inagaki, M., Kawashima, Y., Yonemoto, N., & Yamada, M. (2019) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2017-7 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
O'Connor, R. C., Ferguson, E., Scott, F., Smyth, R., McDaid, D., Park, A.-L., Beautrais, A., & Armitage, C. J. (2017) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(17)30129-3 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Costin, D. L., Mackinnon, A. J., Griffiths, K. M., Batterham, P. J., Bennett, A. J., Bennett, K., & Christensen, H. (2009) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1294 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
“Previous research has demonstrated that postcards can be an effective means of reducing incidences of self-harm [11], and thus the brief e-cards were considered an appropriate modality in the current context.”
BackgroundSuicide prevention and follow-up services: A narrative review
Ghanbari, B., Malakouti, S. K., Nojomi, M., Alavi, K., & Khaleghparast, S. (2015) · Global Journal of Health Science · doi:10.5539/gjhs.v8n5p145 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Postcards, green cards and telephone calls: Therapeutic contact with individuals following self-harm
Kapur, N., Cooper, J., Bennewith, O., Gunnell, D., & Hawton, K. (2010) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.072496 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Chesin, M. S., Stanley, B., Haigh, E. A. P., Chaudhury, S. R., Pontoski, K., Knox, K. L., & Brown, G. K. (2017) · Archives of Suicide Research · doi:10.1080/13811118.2016.1164642 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Dimeff, L. A., Jobes, D. A., Chalker, S. A., Piehl, B. M., Duvivier, L. L., Lok, B. C., Zalake, M. S., Chung, J., & Koerner, K. (2020) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2018.05.005 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Spottswood, M., Lim, C. T., Davydow, D., & Huang, H. (2022) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.892205 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
A Review of Evidence-Based Follow-Up Care for Suicide Prevention
Brown, G. K., & Green, K. L. (2014) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.06.006 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Wang, Y., Hsieh, L., Wang, M., Chou, C., Huang, M., & Ko, H. (2016) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1111/sltb.12177 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Richardson, J. S., Mark, T. L., & McKeon, R. (2014) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201300196 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Intensive case management in suicide attempters following discharge from psychiatric care
De Leo, D., & Heller, T. (2007) · Australian Journal of Primary Health · doi:10.1071/py07038 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Chen, W.-J., Ho, C.-K., Shyu, S.-S., Chen, C.-C., Lin, G.-G., Chou, L.-S., Fang, Y.-J., Yeh, P.-Y., Chung, T.-C., & Chou, F. H.-C. (2013) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-13-191 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Group problem-solving skills training for self-harm: randomised controlled trial
McAuliffe, C., McLeavey, B. C., Fitzgerald, T., Corcoran, P., Carroll, B., Ryan, L., O'Keeffe, B., Fitzgerald, E., Hickey, P., O'Regan, M., et al. (2014) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.101816 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
- Authors
- Carter, G. L., Clover, K., Whyte, I. M., Dawson, A. H., & Este, C. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Carter, Gregory L
- Venue
- BMJ
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2005-09-23
- Volume
- 331
- Issue
- 7520
- Pages
- 805
- ISSN
- 0007-1447 (ISSN-L)
- 0959-8138
- 1468-5833
- PMC
- PMC1246077
- OpenAlex
- W2013722874
- Cited by
- 270
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 10.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMJ (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Poisoning and overdose treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- self-poisoning, suicide prevention
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, New South Wales, Poisoning, Postal Service, Risk Factors, Correspondence as Topic, Self-Injurious Behavior, Reminder Systems, Secondary Prevention
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
