Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviors in the Taiwan Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

Prediction of suicidal ideation with associated risk factors among university students in the southern part of Bangladesh: Machine learning approach

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of suicidal ideation has become an urgent issue, particularly among adolescents. The primary objective of this research is to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation among students in the southern region of Bangladesh and to predict this phenomenon using machine learning (ML) models.

METHODS

The data collection process involved using a simple random sampling technique to gather information from university students located in the southern region of Bangladesh during the period spreading from April 2022 to June 2022. Upon accounting for missing values and non-response rates, the ultimate sample size was determined to be 584, with 51.5 % of participants identifying as male and 48.5 % female.

RESULTS

A significant proportion of students, precisely 19.9 %, reported experiencing suicidal ideation. Most participants were female (77 %) and unmarried (78 %). Within the machine learning (ML) framework, KNN exhibited the highest accuracy score of 91.45 %. In addition, the Random Forest (RF), and Categorical Boosting (CatBoost) algorithms exhibited comparable levels of accuracy, achieving scores of 90.60 and 90.59 respectively.

LIMITATIONS

Using a cross-sectional design in research limits the ability to establish causal relationships.

CONCLUSION

Mental health practitioners can employ the KNN model alongside patients' medical histories to detect those who may be at a higher risk of attempting suicide. This approach enables healthcare professionals to take appropriate measures, such as counselling, encouraging regular sleep patterns, and addressing depression and anxiety, to prevent suicide attempts.

The effectiveness of psychoeducation in improving attitudes towards psychological disorders and internalized stigma in the family members of bipolar patients: A quasi‐experimental study

Family members of bipolar patients experience stigma following being labeled by others, which can disrupt their routine lives and result in social isolation. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoeducation in improving the attitudes of bipolar patients' family members towards psychological disorders and internalized stigma. The present study is a quasi-experimental study with a pre- and post-test follow-up design, in which 74 individuals were selected by convenience sampling among families who had a member with a bipolar disorder who was referred to the largest psychiatric hospital in Iran in 2021. The participants were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups (n = 37 per group). The members of the experimental group then underwent eight 90-min sessions of psychoeducation. The control group also received psychoeducation at the end of the study. The results of analysis of covariance showed that psychoeducation reduced internalized stigma in the family members of bipolar patients and increased their positive attitudes towards psychological disorders compared with the control group (p < .01). On this basis, psychoeducation can be useful to reduce the internalized stigma of family members of bipolar patients and to increase their positive attitudes towards psychological disorders.

Associations between lifetime mental disorders and suicidal behaviors: findings from the Taiwan psychiatry morbidity survey

BACKGROUND

East Asia has high suicide rates but low prevalence of mental disorders. We examined the associations between prior lifetime mental disorders (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and impulse control disorders) and subsequent suicidal behaviors (suicidal ideation and attempts in the general population and suicide plans, planned attempts, and unplanned attempts in suicidal ideators) in Taiwan.

METHODS

This survey applied the World Mental Health Survey Composite International Diagnostic Interview to a population representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults between 2003 and 2005. Odds ratios (ORs) obtained using discrete-time survival analysis were used to estimate population attributable fractions (PAFs) of suicidal behaviors due to lifetime mental disorders.

RESULTS

Lifetime mental illness was a significant risk factor for subsequent suicidal behaviors (except unplanned attempts among ideators) despite the relatively low prevalence of mental disorders in people with suicidality (16.1%-35.0%). Each diagnosis increased the odds of suicidal ideation. In terms of acting on suicidal ideation, mood disorders were most strongly associated with having plans (OR = 10.0; 95% confidence interval, CI 4.3-21.1), whereas substance use disorders most strongly with either planned (OR = 27.3; 95% CI 6.3-118.5) or unplanned attempts (OR = 14.5; 95% CI 1.7-121.5). PAFs of all mental disorders on suicidality lay between 20 and 30% (except 11% of unplanned attempts among ideators). Mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders had higher PAFs than impulse control disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to mood disorders, considering anxiety and substance use disorders is essential in devising population-based suicide prevention strategies.