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Joseph VA, Kreski NT, Keyes KM. Externalizing Behaviors/Violence Exposure and Suicide Among U.S. Adolescents. Am J Prev Med 2024:S0749-3797(24)00292-7. [PMID: 39187052 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study examines associations between externalizing behaviors/violence exposure and suicidal behavior among U.S. high school students from 1991 to 2021. METHODS Data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the total sample contained data on 234,588 adolescents. Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between externalizing behaviors/violence exposure and suicidal behavior. To assess trends over time, models were then assessed for multiplicative interactions between externalizing behaviors/violence exposure and time by sex. State-level trends were also assessed. All analyses were conducted in 2024. RESULTS The prevalence of externalizing behaviors/violence exposure increased among youth with an injurious suicide attempt (ISA). Logistic regression models indicated statistically significant associations across suicidal behaviors with a higher magnitude of association observed among those with an ISA. For instance, compared to those who did not carry a gun, those who carried a gun had 6.32 (95% confidence interval: 4.78, 8.36) times the odds of ISA versus no attempt and 2.66 (95% confidence interval: 2.00, 3.53) times the odds of non-ISA versus no attempt. Stronger associations arose among male individuals. Among those with an ISA in 2021, state-level differences in weapon access emerged. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents with externalizing behaviors/violence exposure are at an increased risk of an ISA. The relationship varies over time and by sex. Culturally adaptive and structurally competent approaches to mental health and mechanisms to identify at-risk youth are imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria A Joseph
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
| | - Noah T Kreski
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Katherine M Keyes
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
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Agrons K, Nambi V, Salas R, Minhas AMK. Suicide-related mortality in cardiovascular disease in the United States from 1999 to 2019. J Natl Med Assoc 2024; 116:378-389. [PMID: 39098558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnma.2024.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Research has shown chronic diseases can be associated with suicide but there is limited data on suicide in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given the substantial psychosocial, financial, quality of life, and health impact of CVD, we aimed to study suicide-related mortality in CVD. METHODS We used Center for Disease Control Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) to access Multiple Cause of Death data from 1999 to 2019. Suicide and CVD related deaths in patients ≥ 25 years were identified. Proportionate suicide-related mortality (PSrM) was calculated as suicide-related deaths (listed with CVD) divided by all CVD-related deaths (irrespective of suicide) and reported as PSrM per 100,000 CVD-related deaths. Joinpoint regression was used to examine trend changes using annual percentage change (APC) overall and by sex, race/ethnicity, disease subtype, and age. RESULTS Overall, PSrM in CVD increased from 62.8 in 1999 to 90.5 in 2019. The PSrM increased from 1999 to 2002 with an associated APC of 6.2 (95 % CI, 0.0 to 12.7), remained stable from 2002 to 2005, increased from 2005 to 2013 with an APC of 4.8 (95 % CI, 3.4 to 6.3), and decreased from 2013 to 2019 with an APC of -2.1 (95 % CI, -3.6 to -0.5). Among racial/ethnic groups, PSrM was highest in non-hispanic (NH) White (103.8), then Hispanic or Latino (63.6), and then NH Black or African American individuals (29.2). PSrM was highest in the 25-39 years age group (858), then 40-54 years (382.8), 55-69 years (146.2), 70-84 years (55.9), and then 85+ (17). PSrM initially increased in men with APC (3.1 until 2013), women (4.1 until 2014), NH White individuals (3.9 until 2013), Hispanic or Latino (3.5 until 2014), ages 40-54 years (2.9 until 2013), 55-69 years (6.0 until 2013), then stabilized or decreased. AAMR increased in NH Black or AA individuals APC (1.0) and 25-39 years APC (1.4) from 1999 to 2019. CONCLUSION PSrM in CVD peaked in the early 2010s, with varying differences across sex, racial/ethnic, and age groups. Further research is needed to understand disparities and develop preventive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenyon Agrons
- Department of Medical Education, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Vijay Nambi
- Section of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor college of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ramiro Salas
- Department of Psychiatry Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Abdul Mannan Khan Minhas
- Section of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor college of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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Curley LJM, Duffy FF, Kim PY, Clarke-Walper KM, Riviere LA, Wilk JE. Suicide Behavior Results From the U.S. Army's Suicide Prevention Leadership Tool Study: The Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide Risk Reduction Review (R4). Mil Med 2024; 189:361-369. [PMID: 35726499 PMCID: PMC9384320 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usac169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The U.S. Army developed a new tool called the Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide Risk Reduction Review (R4) for suicide prevention. A 12-month evaluation study with the primary objective of testing the hypothesis (H1) that Army units receiving R4 would demonstrate improved outcomes in suicidal-behavior measures following the intervention, relative to control, was then conducted. The results of analyses to answer H1 are herein presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS The R4 intervention (R4-tools/instructions/orientation) evaluation study, Institutional Review Board approved and conducted in May 2019-June 2020, drew samples from two U.S. Army divisions and employed a repeated measurement in pre-/post-quasi-experimental design, including a nonequivalent, but comparable, business-as-usual control. Intervention effectiveness was evaluated using self-report responses to suicide-related measures (Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised/total-suicide behaviors/ideations/plans/attempts/non-suicidal self-injuries) at 6-/12-month intervals. Analyses examined baseline to follow-up linked and cross-sectional cohorts, incidence/prevalence, and intervention higher-/lower-use R4 subanalyses. RESULTS Both divisions demonstrated favorable in-study reductions in total-suicide burden, with relatively equivalent trends for total-suicide behaviors, total-suicide risk (Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised), suicidal ideations, and non-suicidal self-injuries. Although both demonstrated reductions in suicide plans, the control showed a more robust trend. Neither division demonstrated a significant reduction in suicide attempts, but subgroup analyses showed a significant reduction in pre-coronavirus disease 2019-attempt incidence among those with higher-use R4 relative to control. CONCLUSIONS There is no evidence of harm associated with the R4 intervention. R4 effectiveness as a function of R4 itself requires confirmatory study. R4 is judged an improvement (no evidence of harm + weak evidence of effectiveness) over the status quo (no safety data or effectiveness studies) with regard to tool-based decision-making support for suicide prevention in the U.S. Army.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ltc Justin M Curley
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Farifteh F Duffy
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Paul Y Kim
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Kristina M Clarke-Walper
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Lyndon A Riviere
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Joshua E Wilk
- Department of Military Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
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Monteith LL, Kittel J, Miller C, Schneider AL, Holliday R, Gaeddert LA, Spark T, Brenner LA, Hoffmire CA. Identifying U.S. regions with the highest suicide rates and examining differences in suicide methods among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Veterans. Asian J Psychiatr 2023; 89:103797. [PMID: 37847965 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The suicide rate among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Veterans increased from 2001 to 2020. Identifying regions where suicide rates are elevated and increasing among AANHPI Veterans would inform targeted prevention efforts for members of this cohort. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of 377,833 AANHPI Veterans to examine suicide rates and methods (2005-2019) by United States (US) region and over time (2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015-2019), using US Veteran Eligibility Trends and Statistics and Joint DoD/VA Mortality Data Repository data. AANHPI Veterans across most regions experienced increases in suicide rates from the earliest to latest period; however, patterns differed by region. Age-adjusted suicide rates increased across all three periods among those in the Northeast and West, but increased, then declined in the Midwest and South. In 2015-2019, the age-adjusted suicide rate among AANHPI Veterans was highest in the Northeast (42.0 per 100,000) and lowest in the West (27.5). However, the highest percentages of AANHPI Veteran suicide deaths in 2005-2019 occurred in the West (39.5%) and South (34.7%), with lower percentages in the Midwest (15.0%) and Northeast (10.8%). Across regions, those ages 18-34 had the highest suicide rates. Firearms were the most frequently used suicide method across regions (44.4%-60.2%), except the Northeast (35.2%), where suffocation was more common (38.3%). Results suggest particular needs for suicide prevention efforts among AANHPI Veterans in the Northeast and to ensure that lethal means safety initiatives for AANHPI Veterans encompass both firearms and suffocation, with some variations in emphasis across regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey L Monteith
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12631 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1890 N Revere Ct, Suite 4003, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, 12401 East 17th Avenue, 7th Floor, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Julie Kittel
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12631 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Christin Miller
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Alexandra L Schneider
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Ryan Holliday
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1890 N Revere Ct, Suite 4003, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Laurel A Gaeddert
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Talia Spark
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Lisa A Brenner
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12631 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1890 N Revere Ct, Suite 4003, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Claire A Hoffmire
- VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, 1700 North Wheeling St., Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12631 E 17th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Two sides of the same coin? The association between suicide stigma and suicide normalisation. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2022; 31:e78. [PMID: 36330742 PMCID: PMC9677440 DOI: 10.1017/s2045796022000610] [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] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Evidence suggests that suicide stigma (i.e. negative attitudes towards persons affected by suicide/suicidality) and suicide normalisation (i.e. liberal attitudes towards suicide) are both associated with increased suicide risk. Despite conceptual similarities and potential interaction, suicide stigma and suicide normalisation have usually been investigated separately. We used cross-sectional data from a community sample to test the association between suicide stigma and suicide normalisation as well as to identify their respective determinants and consequences. METHODS Participants were N = 3.269 adults recruited from an established online-panel using quotas to reflect the composition of the German general population with regard to age, gender, education and region. We collected information about suicide stigma, suicide normalisation, intentions to seek help for suicidality, current suicidality, suicide literacy, negative mood and socio-demographic variables. We used regression modelling to determine the association between suicide stigma and suicide normalisation as well as to identify their determinants and consequences. RESULTS Suicide stigma and suicide normalisation were inversely associated so that higher suicide stigma scores were linked to lower suicide normalisation. More suicide stigma was associated with reduced intentions to seeking professional help, increased willingness to seek help from family and friends and lower odds to experience current suicidality, however the association between suicide stigma and intentions to seek professional help diminished after controlling for confounding variables. Increased suicide normalisation was linked to reduced intentions to seek help from professionals or family and friends, as well as higher odds to experience current suicidality, even after controlling for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce public suicide stigma are at risk to unintentionally increase suicide normalisation, which appears to be a key barrier to seeking help for suicidality. Future research should therefore identify strategies to improve attitudes towards persons affected by suicidality that avoid normalisation, i.e. do not convey the message of suicide as an acceptable solution for difficult life situations. One strategy with great potential to safely reduce public suicide sigma could be interventions that stimulate interpersonal contact with affected persons sharing their recovery story.
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Wang X, Zamora-Resendiz R, Shelley CD, Manore C, Liu X, Oslin DW, McMahon B, Beckham JC, Kimbrel NA, Crivelli S, MVP Suicide Exemplar Workgroup. An examination of the association between altitude and suicide deaths, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation among veterans at both the patient and geospatial level. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 153:276-283. [PMID: 35868159 PMCID: PMC9462426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Suicide is a major public health problem affecting US Veterans and the US in general. Many variables (e.g., demographic, clinical, biological, geographic) have been associated with risk for suicide and suicidal behavior, including altitude; however, the exact nature of the relationship between altitude and suicide remains unclear in part due to the fact that previous studies have used either geospatial data or individual-level data, but not both. Prior research has also failed to consider the full range of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, ranging from suicidal ideation to suicide deaths. Accordingly, the objective of the present research was to use both geospatial data (county and zip codes) and individual-level data to comprehensively assess the association between altitude and suicide mortality, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation among US Veterans between 2000 and 2018. Taken together, our results demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between altitude and suicide rates at all the levels investigated and using different statistical analyses and even after controlling for significant covariates such as percent of age >50yr, percent male, percent white, percent non-Hispanic, median household income, and population density. We show that there is a positive correlation between altitude and suicide attempts especially when controlling by the covariates and a weak correlation between altitude and suicide ideation and the combination of suicide, suicide attempts and suicide ideation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiange Wang
- Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Rafael Zamora-Resendiz
- Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Courtney D Shelley
- Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carrie Manore
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Xinlian Liu
- Departments of Computer Science, Hood College, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - David W Oslin
- VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Center of Excellence, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin McMahon
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Jean C Beckham
- Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nathan A Kimbrel
- Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Silvia Crivelli
- Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Canetto SS. Language, culture, gender, and intersectionalities in suicide theory, research, and prevention: Challenges and changes. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2021; 51:1045-1054. [PMID: 34515352 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Over the decades suicidology has experienced many challenges and changes. Language, culture, gender, and intersectionalities of experience have been domains of challenge and change. In this article I document my contributions to suicidology's transformation in these domains. These contributions include challenging stigmatizing and biased suicide-language (e.g., expressions like "successful" and "failed" suicide); questioning gender myths of suicidal behaviors (e.g., the myth that women and men are opposites in terms of suicide motives); the gender-paradox-of-suicide idea; and suicide-scripts theory and research. I then describe the evolution of suicide-scripts theory. Suicide-scripts theory builds on evidence that in each culture there are unique situations when suicidal behavior is expected from specific people, using specific methods, and with specific social consequences. The theory posits that these scripts contribute to variations in suicidality across cultures, and within cultures, across sociodemographic groups, intersectionally. Studies using a diversity of methodologies and focusing on a diversity of sociodemographic groups and cultures point to the role of suicide scripts in suicidality. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications, for suicide prevention, of suicide-scripts theory and evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sara Canetto
- Psychology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Shiner B, Gottlieb DJ, Levis M, Peltzman T, Riblet NB, Cornelius SL, Russ CJ, Watts BV. National cross-sectional cohort study of the relationship between quality of mental healthcare and death by suicide. BMJ Qual Saf 2021; 31:434-440. [DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BackgroundPatient safety-based interventions aimed at lethal means restriction are effective at reducing death by suicide in inpatient mental health settings but are more challenging in the outpatient arena. As an alternative approach, we examined the association between quality of mental healthcare and suicide in a national healthcare system.MethodsWe calculated regional suicide rates for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare users from 2013 to 2017. To control for underlying variation in suicide risk in each of our 115 mental health referral regions (MHRRs), we calculated standardised rate ratios (SRRs) for VA users compared with the general population. We calculated quality metrics for outpatient mental healthcare in each MHRR using individual metrics as well as an Overall Quality Index. We assessed the correlation between quality metrics and suicide rates.ResultsAmong the 115 VA MHRRs, the age-adjusted, sex-adjusted and race-adjusted annual suicide rates varied from 6.8 to 92.9 per 100 000 VA users, and the SRRs varied between 0.7 and 5.7. Mean regional-level adherence to each of our quality metrics ranged from a low of 7.7% for subspecialty care access to a high of 58.9% for care transitions. While there was substantial regional variation in quality, there was no correlation between an overall index of mental healthcare quality and SRR.ConclusionThere was no correlation between overall quality of outpatient mental healthcare and rates of suicide in a national healthcare system. Although it is possible that quality was not high enough anywhere to prevent suicide at the population level or that we were unable to adequately measure quality, this examination of core mental health services in a well-resourced system raises doubts that a quality-based approach alone can lower population-level suicide rates.
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Tran F, Morrison C. Income inequality and suicide in the United States: A spatial analysis of 1684 U.S. counties using geographically weighted regression. Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol 2020; 34:100359. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sste.2020.100359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Saadi A, Choi KR, Takada S, Zimmerman FJ. The impact of gun violence restraining order laws in the U.S. and firearm suicide among older adults: a longitudinal state-level analysis, 2012-2016. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:334. [PMID: 32252702 PMCID: PMC7137454 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08462-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Older adults complete suicide at a disproportionately higher rate compared to the general population, with firearms the most common means of suicide. State gun laws may be a policy remedy. Less is known about Gun Violence Restricting Order (GVRO) laws, which allow for removal of firearms from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, and their effects on suicide rates among older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of state firearm laws with the incidence of firearm, non-firearm-related, and total suicide among older adults, with a focus on GVRO laws. METHODS This is a longitudinal study of US states using data from 2012 to 2016. The outcome variables were firearm, non-firearm and total suicide rates among older adults. Predictor variables were [1] total number of gun laws to assess for impact of overall firearm legislation at the state level, and [2] GVRO laws. RESULTS The total number of firearm laws, as well as GVRO laws, were negatively associated with firearm-related suicide rate among older adults ages 55-64 and > 65 years-old (p < 0.001). There was a small but significant positive association of total number of firearm laws to non-firearm-related suicide rates and a negative association with total suicide rate. GVRO laws were not significantly associated with non-firearm-related suicide and were negatively associated with total suicide rate. CONCLUSION Stricter firearm legislation, as well as GVRO laws, are protective against firearm-relate suicides among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altaf Saadi
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Kristen R Choi
- University of California Los Angeles School of Nursing, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA
| | - Sae Takada
- Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA
| | - Fred J Zimmerman
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health University of California, Los Angeles, 90024, USA
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Schmutte TJ, Wilkinson ST. Suicide in Older Adults With and Without Known Mental Illness: Results From the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2016. Am J Prev Med 2020; 58:584-590. [PMID: 32001049 PMCID: PMC7089842 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Suicide risk increases with age, and evidence exists for the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of suicide risk in older adults. Recent data suggest that many U.S. adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. This study compares the characteristics and precipitating circumstances of geriatric suicide decedents with and without known mental illnesses. METHODS This study was a retrospective analysis of suicide deaths for adults aged ≥65 years from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2016 (n=26,884). ORs compared sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, cause of death, and precipitating circumstances based on coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement reports. Data were collected and analyzed in 2019. RESULTS Most older male (69.1%) and female (50.2%) suicide decedents did not have a known mental illness. A physical health problem was the most prevalent precipitating circumstance but was more common among older adults without known mental illness. Past suicide attempt, disclosure of suicidal intent, depressed mood, and substance use were more common among those with a known mental illness. More than three fourths of suicide decedents did not disclose their suicidal intent. Most suicide deaths involved firearms, which were disproportionately used by decedents without known mental illness (81.6% of male and 44.6% of female decedents) compared with those with known mental illness (70.5% of male and 30.0% of female decedents). CONCLUSIONS Most older adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. The rapidly growing U.S. geriatric population calls for more effective methods to identify and treat at-risk older adults, particularly those who are male.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Schmutte
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
| | - Samuel T Wilkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Choi NG, DiNitto DM, Nathan Marti C. Differences in Firearm Suicides by Residential Location in Texas, 2006-2015. Arch Suicide Res 2019; 23:491-506. [PMID: 29791268 DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2018.1468290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
This study used Texas state vital statistics records, 2006-2015, to examine firearm use rates among 28,010 suicide decedents by residential location (urbanized vs. all others). Firearms were responsible for 44% of all teenage suicides and 76-90% and 50-60% of suicides of men and women aged 60 + years, respectively, and firearm use rates remained steady for both genders during the study period. Logistic regression analysis showed a significantly higher firearm use rate (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.28-1.42) among decedents who resided in nonurbanized areas. Differences in firearm use rates by residential location likely reflect higher firearm ownership in smaller communities and rural than urban areas. The findings underscore the importance of community- and individual-level suicide prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namkee G Choi
- a University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work , Austin , Texas , USA
| | - Diana M DiNitto
- a University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work , Austin , Texas , USA
| | - C Nathan Marti
- a University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work , Austin , Texas , USA
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