Domestic abuse (DA) is a risk factor for self-harm and suicide attempts, yet it is frequently under-recognised in psychiatry. Despite its clinical significance, research on suicide in the context of DA has had limited impact on suicide prevention strategies within mental health services. This symposium will provide psychiatrists with practical insights for recognising and managing DA-related suicide risk in routine clinical care, psychiatric admission settings, and multidisciplinary interventions.
The first session, led by Dr Vishal Bhavsar, focuses on new research examining suicide and self-harm among patients accessing mental health services who have experienced or perpetrated DA. Delegates will learn how DA can shape psychiatric presentations, complicate assessment, and influence the formulation of risk. Evidence highlighting elevated risk among perpetrators will be discussed, alongside implications for risk management, safety planning, and the use of appropriate psychiatric or psychological interventions.
The second session from Tim Woodhouse will consider public health and surveillance perspectives, showing how population-level data can inform service planning. Psychiatrists will explore how epidemiological insights might guide decisions regarding detention, admission, and risk stratification, and how these data can support multi-agency approaches to suicide prevention for patients affected by DA.
The final session from Holly Thomas will present a case series of suicides within an NHS Mental Health Trust. This session will highlight practical challenges in recognising DA in clinical practice, risk management during psychiatric admission, and integration of interventions to protect both patients and their families. Delegates will consider lessons for psychiatric assessment, formulation, and multidisciplinary care planning.
By attending, psychiatrists will gain evidence-based knowledge to enhance formulation skills, improve risk assessment and management, and consider psychiatric interventions to address DA-related suicide risk. The symposium will support professional development by providing practical strategies for integrating suicide prevention into psychiatric practice ultimately improving outcomes for patients, families, and clinical teams.
Learning objectives
By the end of this webinar you should be able to:
• enhance clinical assessment skills: Understand how domestic abuse - experienced or perpetrated affects mental state presentations and suicide risk, and apply this knowledge during psychiatric assessments and the mental state examination
• improve risk management and intervention planning: Develop practical strategies for psychiatric risk assessment, admission, and detention decisions, integrating evidence-based psychiatric and psychological interventions for patients affected by domestic abuse
• translate evidence into practice and service improvement: Apply insights from epidemiology, public health surveillance, and service evaluations to strengthen multi-agency suicide prevention approaches and improve patient safety and outcomes within mental health services.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Marilia Calcia, King's College London, London
Dr Vishal Girish Kumar Bhavsar, King's College London, London
Mr Tim Woodhouse, University of Kent, Canterbury
Ms Holly Thomas, Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London
Funding
RCPsych International Congress is financially supported by the purchase of exhibition stand packages. A full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found here: Exhibiting Organisations at International Congress 2026
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2026 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2026 package can be purchased below.
