The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in suicide prevention, a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v105i1e-224797Keywords:
Suicide, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Death, ReviewAbstract
Suicide is among the leading causes of death worldwide. There is an extensive effort by health professionals and researchers to establish a solid basis for its prevention. In light of current literature, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT-based interventions are effective in treating depression, the most frequent psychiatric condition associated with suicide. Yet, there’s a lack of evidence regarding the efficacy of these interventions in reducing the rate of deaths by suicide. Therefore, the objective of the current systematic review is to evaluate whether CBT and CBT-based interventions can reduce deaths by suicide among high-risk populations. To that end, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and APA PsycNet were searched for articles regarding the subject. After the eligibility evaluation, 15 articles were included. The results confirmed the effectiveness of CBT and CBT-based interventions in decreasing suicidality. However, more studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness in reducing suicide mortality specifically. Death by suicide was reported in only two studies, and only three articles reported actively investigating suicide among dropouts. The limited data regarding death by suicide preclude the evaluation of the efficiency of CBT and CBT-based interventions in their prevention. In that regard, future studies should include death as an outcome, as well as employ and describe specific methods to track deaths by suicide among dropouts
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Copyright (c) 2026 Matheus Parra Barcelos de Mendonça, Ana Carolina Gouveia, Raul Matsuoka, Marcelo Costa, Renério Fráguas
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