LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center has released a new resource for healthcare professionals aimed at helping doctors and other providers initiate conversations with patients about mental health concerns that often go unaddressed during routine medical visits.

The guide, titled "Discussing Mental Health: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals," was developed by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, with funding from the Kentucky Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention grant.

Research shows that many individuals who die by suicide had recently visited a healthcare provider, sometimes within days or weeks. For many patients, a routine medical appointment may be the only opportunity to discuss stress, anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm. Yet these critical conversations often remain unspoken.

The guide recommends routine mental health screening using standardized assessment tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire for anxiety. These quick assessments can open the door to deeper conversations and help practitioners identify concerns that might otherwise be missed.

The resource introduces the OARS approach — using open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening and summarizing — to help providers build trust and encourage patients to share openly. The guide also addresses how healthcare professionals should respond to more serious concerns, including how to discuss suicide directly and compassionately, assess risk, and connect individuals to resources such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Beyond clinical conversations, the guide directs patients and providers to practical resources. FindHelpNow.org allows users to quickly locate mental health providers with current availability across Kentucky and identify community resources. The guide also recognizes the emotional toll mental health conversations can take on healthcare professionals themselves, encouraging providers to prioritize self-care.

The initiative reflects broader efforts across Kentucky to address the state's mental health crisis. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-34 in Kentucky, and 15 percent of high school students reported seriously considering suicide in the previous year, according to the Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Although the guide was designed primarily for clinical use, it offers practical, easy-to-understand strategies that can benefit anyone interested in how mental health conversations can be approached with empathy and confidence.