Faith Henton looks into the impact of medication on suicidal thoughts

A Somerset community mental health nurse is developing her research skills to inform future research to better understand how medication affects people experiencing suicidal thoughts, and whether different approaches could improve care.

Faith Henton, who has worked at the trust since August 2024, is carrying out the project as part of the Health Care Professional Internship for research programme, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Drawing on her experience across mental health, safeguarding and hospital settings, Faith is now working in the community in a non-medical prescribing development role, and says her day-to-day work prompted the focus towards her research idea.

“In terms of my patient caseload, I have noticed that patients were on medication for suicidal ideation for a long time, and they are still intending to take their life,” she says.

“My student research project is all about asking whether something else should be done, and why are they still on the same medication if it seems as though it’s not helping them.”

Faith’s review of the literature will explore how medication is managed for people experiencing suicidal ideation, including prescribing, review and the potential for de-prescribing or alternative approaches.

She says: “I’m questioning whether we should be de-prescribing and offering something else or just not giving them medication for a small time and observing them.”

While medication plays a key role in treating mental health conditions, Faith says her clinical insights highlighted a gap in understanding how patients themselves experience long-term treatment.

“It’s a slow process but I’ve now completed a systematic search of the literature and synthesised the current evidence,” she says.

“I’ve discovered a gap where limited research has been done specifically from the patients’ experience with their own medication.

“I believe that future research in this space could help strengthen both patient safety and shared decision-making, particularly for people who have been taking medication long-term without seeing clear benefits.

“Working towards creating the clinical evidence base is important, and for some patients, reducing or stopping medication, where safe to do so, could be an important part of improving care in the future.”

Faith has begun writing up her work ahead of the next phase, which will include audit and submitting a request for ethical approval and ensuring research and development processes are complete before patient interviews can begin.

She is being supported throughout the project by a team including Dr Sathya Cherukuri, our associate medical director for mental health and learning disabilities, Andrea Mostyn-Jones, our lead research nurse, Ralph Hammond, our associate director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals research and co-lead at Somerset Clinical School, and our knowledge and evidence specialist librarian Veronica Price.

Faith adds: “I couldn’t do this without the team as they’re so supportive and every time I get stuck or need to ask questions, they’re just a phone call or email away.”

Alongside the research, Faith is developing towards becoming a prescriber, with a strong emphasis on working in partnership with patients.

“In my role I’m developing to become a prescriber which will be great, and of course when we prescribe, we do it together with the patient and we tell them about the medication and its side effects, benefits and we make that decision together,” she says.

“The opportunity to take part in research has been particularly meaningful, and I feel very privileged, especially as a black person in the organisation where we’re trying to get into these spaces of research.

“To have that support from a trust that wants to promote marginalised groups to get into this space is truly fantastic.”