In the U.S., firearm-related suicides account for almost half of suicide deaths and for most fatal firearm injuries. In clinical settings, lethal means counseling has been proposed as a way of addressing this risk. Implementation efforts, however, have been accompanied by growing awareness of a “culture gap” between clinicians with low familiarity with firearms and patients with potential distrust of clinical interventions. This has resulted in calls for cultural competency training among clinicians engaged in discussions about firearms with patients.
This webinar, presented by Jeffrey Sung, MD (UW Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences), will provide an introduction to selected cultural factors related to firearm ownership and use with the intent of improving cross-cultural communication and the quality of suicide care.
