Many physicians fail to spot suicide signs in patients

A new study was released this week that highlighted a scary disconnect in the doctor-patient relationship. Some physicians -- in fact, large numbers of them -- are failing to recognize suicide signs and symptoms in patients. These are often the neediest patients when it comes to requiring assistance, so it's distressing to hear that there is a lack of help in abundance here.

Although the study involved actresses who visited various various physicians to show signs of despair and hopelessness, many doctors failed to ask these study participants about their mental state as it related to potential suicide risk. Only 36 percent of doctors went there.

Are doctors not trained that well at probing for possible suicide risks, or are they so hurried with a flurry of patients that they just don't take the time? It's true that primary care physicians are not psychiatrists, although the study stated that 75 percent of people who commit suicide visited a primary-care provider in the 30 days prior.