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Mehanović E, Rosso G, Cuomo GL, Diecidue R, Maina G, Costa G, Vigna-Taglianti F. Risk factors for mortality after hospitalization for suicide attempt: results of 11-year follow-up study in Piedmont Region, Italy. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2024; 59:1039-1051. [PMID: 37552335 PMCID: PMC11116226 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02544-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Suicide attempters are at high risk of premature death, both for suicide and for non-suicidal causes. The aim of this study is to investigate risk factors and temporal span for mortality in a cohort of cases admitted to hospital for suicide attempt. METHODS The cohort included 1489 patients resident in Piedmont Region, North West of Italy, who had been admitted to hospital or emergency department for suicide attempt between 2010 and 2020. Cox regression models were used to identify risk factors for death. The final multivariate model included gender, age, area deprivation index, family composition, psychiatric disorders, malignant neoplasms, neurological disorders, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and intracranial injury or skull fracture. RESULTS During the observation period, 7.3% of patients died. The highest mortality was observed within the first 12 months after suicide attempt, and remained elevated for many years afterwards. Male gender, older age, high deprivation index of the census area, single-parent family, mood disorders, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus and intracranial injuries or skull fracture were independent predictors of death. Risk factors for natural and unnatural causes of death were also identified. CONCLUSIONS The mortality risk of suicide attempters is very high, both in the months immediately following the attempt and afterwards. The identification of high-risk groups can help to plan outpatient care following the hospital discharge. Our findings urge the need to design strategies for the assistance and care of these patients at long term in order to reduce the unfavourable outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emina Mehanović
- Department of Neurosciences 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
- Piedmont Centre for Drug Addiction Epidemiology, ASL TO3, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy.
| | - Gianluca Rosso
- Department of Neurosciences 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Psychiatric Unit, San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Orbassano, Turin, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Cuomo
- Piedmont Centre for Drug Addiction Epidemiology, ASL TO3, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Diecidue
- Piedmont Centre for Drug Addiction Epidemiology, ASL TO3, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Maina
- Department of Neurosciences 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Psychiatric Unit, San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Orbassano, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Costa
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, Turin, Italy
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Cause-specific mortality after hospital discharge for suicide attempt or suicidal ideation: A cohort study in Piedmont Region, Italy. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 161:19-26. [PMID: 36893667 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicide attempters are at higher risk of death than the general population. The present study aims to investigate the excess of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in a cohort of patients who have attempted suicide or had suicidal ideation compared with the general population. METHOD The cohort included 826 patients residing in the Piedmont Region of Northwest Italy who were admitted to a hospital or emergency department for suicide attempts or suicidal ideation between 2010 and 2016. Mortality excesses of the study population compared to the general population were estimated by applying indirect standardization. Standardized Mortality Ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals were calculated for all-cause, and cause-specific, natural, and unnatural causes of death by gender and age. RESULTS During the 7 years of follow-up, 8.2% of the study sample died. The mortality of suicide attempters and ideators was significantly higher than that of the general population. Mortality was about twice than expected from natural causes, and 30 times than expected from unnatural causes. The mortality due to suicide was 85 times higher than that of the general population, with an excess of 126 times for females. The SMRs for all-cause mortality decreased with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS Patients who access hospitals or emergency departments for suicide attempts or suicidal ideation are a frail group at high risk of dying from natural or unnatural causes. Clinicians should pay special attention to the care of these patients, and public health and prevention professionals should develop and implement appropriate interventions to timely identify individuals at higher risk for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation and provide standardized care and support services.
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Berardelli I, Tarsitani L, Sarubbi S, Pinucci I, Rogante E, Cifrodelli M, Erbuto D, Lester D, Innamorati M, Pompili M. Suicide risk and suicide risk factors among immigrants in Italy: A bi-center matched sample study. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2023; 69:111-116. [PMID: 35083933 DOI: 10.1177/00207640211072425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Italy has the third-largest immigrant population of European Union countries, but only a few research papers have examined suicide risk in immigrant psychiatric patients in Italy. The main aim of this paper was to compare suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a sample of 304 psychiatric patients. We included 152 immigrant patients matched with 152 Italian patients admitted to the same wards during the same time period by age, gender, and diagnosis. We also investigated sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the two samples including psychiatric diagnosis, age of illness onset, duration of illness, previous hospitalizations, length of hospitalization, previous suicide attempts, and substance and alcohol abuse. There were no differences between immigrant and Italian patients in either suicidal ideation (previous or current) or suicide attempts (previous or current). Immigrant patients were more likely to have a shorter duration of illness than the Italian patients and Italian patients were more likely to report substance abuse than were immigrant patients. Despite similar suicide rates between immigrants and Italian psychiatric inpatients, appropriate assessment of suicide risk in these patients is essential in implementing therapeutic suicide prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Berardelli
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Tarsitani
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Sarubbi
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Pinucci
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Rogante
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariarosaria Cifrodelli
- Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Psychiatry Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Denise Erbuto
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - David Lester
- Psychology Program, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ, USA
| | - Marco Innamorati
- Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Zanus C, Battistutta S, Aliverti R, Montico M, Cremaschi S, Ronfani L, Monasta L, Carrozzi M. Adolescent Admissions to Emergency Departments for Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0170979. [PMID: 28125701 PMCID: PMC5268645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to describe the incidence and the characteristics of Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors (SITBs), among adolescents aged 11–18 admitted, over a two year period, to all the Emergency Departments of a Region of North-eastern Italy through a comprehensive analysis of medical records. A two-step search was performed in the regional ED electronic database. First, we identified the cases that had been clearly diagnosed as SITBs by an Emergency Department physician. Secondly, suspect cases were detected through a keyword search of the database, and the medical records of these cases were hand screened to identify SITBs. The mean annual incidence rate of SITBs was 90 per 100,000 adolescents aged 11–18 years. Events were more frequent in females. Drug poisoning was the most frequently adopted method (54%). In 42% of cases a diagnosis of SITB was not explicitly reported by the physician. In 65% of cases adolescents were discharged within hours of admission. Only 9% of patients started a psychiatric assessment and treatment program during hospital stay. This research confirms the high incidence of SITBs among adolescents and highlights the difficulty in their proper diagnosis and management. Such difficulty is confirmed by the fact that only a few patients, even among those with a clear diagnosis, were sent for psychiatric assessment. Correct identification and management of SITB patients needs to be improved, since SITBs are an important public health problem in adolescence and one of the main risk factors for suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Zanus
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
| | - Sara Battistutta
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
| | - Renata Aliverti
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marcella Montico
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvana Cremaschi
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Service, ASS4 Medio Friuli, Udine, Italy
| | - Luca Ronfani
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Monasta
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Marco Carrozzi
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
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Vancayseele N, Portzky G, van Heeringen K. Increase in Self-Injury as a Method of Self-Harm in Ghent, Belgium: 1987-2013. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156711. [PMID: 27249421 PMCID: PMC4889035 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Self-harm is a major health care problem and changes in its prevalence and characteristics can have important implications for suicide prevention. The objective was to describe trends in the epidemiology of self-harm based on emergency department (A&E departments) visits over a 26-year period in Ghent, Belgium. Methods We analyzed data on all self-harm presentations from the three large general hospitals in Ghent between 1987 and 2013. We investigated trends in prevalence (events by year per 100.000), methods and alcohol use. Results Rates of self-harm steadily decreased during the 26-year study period. In general female rates of self-harm were higher than male rates. The mean patient age was 35 years. The most commonly used method of self-harm was self-poisoning by means of an overdose of medication (80.8%), followed by cutting (10.2%) and hanging (4.2%). Psychotropics (including antidepressants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other tranquilizers) were the most frequently used drugs (74.5%). A proportional increase in the use of self-injurious methods in self-harm was highly significant, more specifically in the use of hanging, jumping from heights and the use of other violent methods such as the use of firearms, jumping before a moving object or other traffic related injury. Conclusion This epidemiological study showed an increase in the use of high-lethality methods in self-harm which has important implications for suicide prevention. As restrictions in the availability of these methods are difficult or impossible to achieve, prevention programmes will have to emphasize the role of thorough psychosocial assessment and adequate follow-up care of self-harm patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Vancayseele
- Department of psychiatry and medical psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| | - Gwendolyn Portzky
- Department of psychiatry and medical psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kees van Heeringen
- Department of psychiatry and medical psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Spittal MJ, Pirkis J, Miller M, Carter G, Studdert DM. The Repeated Episodes of Self-Harm (RESH) score: A tool for predicting risk of future episodes of self-harm by hospital patients. J Affect Disord 2014; 161:36-42. [PMID: 24751305 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repetition of hospital-treated deliberate self-harm is common. Several recent studies have used emergency department data to develop clinical tools to assess risk of self-harm or suicide. Longitudinal, linked inpatient data is an alternative source of information. METHODS We identified all individuals admitted to hospital for deliberate self-harm in two Australian states (~350 hospitals). The outcome of interest was a repeated episode of self-harm (non-fatal or fatal) within 6 months. Logistic regression was used to identify a set of predictors of repetition. A risk calculator (RESH: Repeated Episodes of Self-Harm) was derived directly from model coefficients. RESULTS There were 84,659 episodes of self-harm during the study period. Four variables - number of prior episodes, time between episodes, prior psychiatric diagnoses and recent psychiatric hospital stay - strongly predicted repetition. The RESH score showed good discrimination (AUC=0.75) and had high specificity. Patients with scores of 0-3 had 14% risk of repeat episodes, whereas patients with scores of 20-25 had over 80% risk. We identified five thresholds where the RESH score could be used for prioritising interventions. LIMITATIONS The trade-off of a highly specific test is that the instrument has poor sensitivity. As a consequence, the RESH score cannot be used reliably for "ruling out" those who score below the thresholds. CONCLUSIONS The RESH score could be useful for prioritising patients to interventions to reduce readmission for deliberate self-harm. The five thresholds, representing the continuum from low to high risk, enable a stepped care model of overlapping or sequential interventions to be deployed to patients at risk of self-harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Spittal
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
| | - Jane Pirkis
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Matthew Miller
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, MA, United States
| | - Gregory Carter
- Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health (CTNMH), Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - David M Studdert
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
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