Suicidal Risk Following Hospital Discharge: A Review

Can profiles of behaviors occurring within 48 h of a suicide attempt predict future severity of suicidal thoughts and reattempt?: An examination of hospitalized patients 12 Months post-discharge

Behavioral warning signs (WS) are near-term changes within individuals, which aid in determining imminent risk for suicide attempts. However, those who attempt suicide differ in their engagement of WS, and it is unclear if these differences relate to future risk of suicidal behavior. Using a sample of 132 adults presenting to a hospital following a suicide attempt, the current study sought to determine if differences in engagement in WS for the index attempt prospectively predicted suicide attempt, frequency of ideation, and intensity of suicide ideation 12 months post discharge. Latent class analyses (LCAs) conducted on 6 behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, nightmares, interpersonal negative life events, suicide communication, risky behavior, low sleep, and high sleep) found a 5-class solution optimally fit the data. One identified class, characterized by engagement in risky behaviors the hours before an attempt differed from other identified classes in terms of risk for future suicidal ideation and behaviors. More specifically, participants in "High Risky Behavior" class had higher rates of 12-month suicide reattempt, significantly more frequent suicide ideation, and significantly worse intensity of suicide ideation during the 12 months following their index attempt compared to participants endorsing typical patterns of WS. These results held when adjusting for various traditional baseline covariates (e.g., depressive symptoms). The current study demonstrates that patterns of behavioral WS may be utilized as their own prognostic indicator of future suicidal ideation and behaviors among high-risk individuals reporting a recent suicide attempt, which can inform post-discharge clinical intervention and prevention efforts.

Bridging Gaps in Care Following Hospitalization for Suicidal Adolescents: As Safe As Possible (ASAP) and BRITE App

OBJECTIVE

We present results from a 2-site, randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of a brief intervention (As Safe As Possible [ASAP]), a safety plan phone application (BRITE), and their combination on suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, re-hospitalizations. and suicidal events among adolescents.

METHOD

Adolescents (n= 240; 12-17 years of age) who were hospitalized for suicidal ideation with plan and/or intent, and/or suicide attempt, were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions in a 2 by 2 design: ASAP+BRITE app+treatment as usual (TAU); (2) BRITE+TAU; (3) ASAP+TAU; and (4) TAU alone. Independent evaluators assessed suicidal ideation and behavior at 4, 12, and 24 weeks using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and re-hospitalization using the Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA).

RESULTS

No group differences were found on primary outcomes, except that ASAP participants were less likely to be re-hospitalized over 6 months (15.6%, vs 26.5%, p = .046). Participants hospitalized for an attempt and assigned to BRITE had a lower rate of subsequent attempts (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16, p = .01) and a greater time to attempt (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.20, p = .02). ASAP+BRITE, albeit not statistically significant, was most consistently associated with a reduction (60% reduction) in suicide attempts.

CONCLUSION

ASAP, BRITE, and their combination are equally effective at decreasing risk for suicidal events 6 months post hospital discharge among suicidal adolescents; the ASAP intervention (with or without BRITE) was associated with lower rates of re-hospitalization. The BRITE app in youth hospitalized for suicide attempt had promising outcomes in regard to future attempts.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. The research was performed with permission from the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board and the University of Texas Institutional Review Board. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented sexual and/or gender groups in science. One or more of the authors of this paper received support from a program designed to increase minority representation in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Establishing Efficacy of an Inpatient Intervention and Phone App to Reduce Suicidal Risk (ASAP+BRITE); https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/; NCT03825588.

Premature Death, Suicide, and Nonlethal Intentional Self-Harm After Psychiatric Discharge

Importance

There is a need for representative research on serious adverse outcomes following discharge from psychiatric hospitalization.

Objective

To compare rates of premature death, suicide, and nonlethal intentional self-harm after psychiatric discharge with rates in the general population and investigate associations of these outcomes with relevant variables associated with the index psychiatric hospitalization.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study included all residents from Catalonia, Spain (7.6 million population), who had psychiatric hospitalizations between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018, and were older than 10 years at the index (first) hospitalization. Follow-up was until December 31, 2019. Statistical analysis was performed from December 1, 2022, through April 11, 2024.

Exposures

Socioeconomic status, psychiatric diagnoses, duration of index hospitalization, and number of previous psychiatric hospitalizations.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Postdischarge premature death (ie, all-cause death before age 70 years) and suicide (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision [ICD-10] code range X60-X84), identified using mortality data, and postdischarge nonlethal intentional self-harm, identified using electronic health record and self-harm case register data. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) compared rates of premature death and suicide between the cohort and the general population. Fully adjusted, multivariable, cause-specific Cox proportional hazards regression models for the 3 outcomes were fitted.

Results

A total of 49 108 patients discharged from psychiatric hospitalization were included (25 833 males [52.6%]; mean [SD] age at discharge, 44.2 [18.2] years). During follow-up, 2260 patients (4.6%) died prematurely, 437 (0.9%) died by suicide, and 4752 (9.7%) had an episode of nonlethal intentional self-harm. The overall SMR for premature death was 7.5 (95% CI, 7.2-7.9). For suicide, SMR was 32.9 (95% CI, 29.9-36.0) overall and was especially high among females (47.6 [95% CI, 40.2-54.9]). In fully adjusted sex-stratified hazard models, postdischarge premature death was associated with cognitive disorders (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 2.89 [95% CI, 2.24-3.74] for females; 2.59 [95% CI, 2.17-3.08] for males) and alcohol-related disorders (AHR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.18-1.70] for females; 1.22 [95% CI, 1.09-1.37] for males). Postdischarge suicide was associated with postdischarge intentional self-harm (AHR, 2.83 [95% CI, 1.97-4.05] for females; 3.29 [95% CI, 2.47-4.40] for males), with depressive disorders (AHR, 2.13 [95% CI, 1.52-2.97]) and adjustment disorders (AHR, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.32-2.83]) among males, and with bipolar disorder among females (AHR, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.21-3.09]). Postdischarge intentional self-harm was associated with index admissions for intentional self-harm (AHR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.73-2.21] for females; 2.62 [95% CI, 2.20-3.13] for males) as well as for adjustment disorders (AHR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.33-1.65] for females; 1.99 [95% CI, 1.74-2.27] for males), anxiety disorders (AHR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.10-1.39] for females; 1.36 [95% CI, 1.18-1.58] for males), depressive disorders (AHR, 1.54 [95% CI, 1.40-1.69] for females; 1.80 [95% CI, 1.58-2.04] for males), and personality disorders (AHR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.46-1.73] for females; 1.43 [95% CI, 1.28-1.60] for males).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of patients discharged from psychiatric hospitalization, risk for premature death and suicide was significantly higher compared with the general population, suggesting individuals discharged from psychiatric inpatient care are a vulnerable population for premature death and suicidal behavior.

Suicide risk after discharge from in-patient psychiatric care: A 15-year retrospective cohort study of individual patient data

BACKGROUND

Suicide rates are known to be increased in patients after discharge from in-patient psychiatric treatment. However, evidence on risk factors for suicide within this patient group are contradictory. Thus, this study aims to investigate suicide after discharge from a sizeable psychiatric care facility to determine associated risk factors.

METHODS

Data on individual patient level from a 15-year single-centre cohort were linked to data from the national death registry and cumulative incidence rates were calculated applying competing risk models. Independent variables included the patients' sex, age at admission, diagnosis, and length of admission. For each of these factors, subdistribution hazards ratios were calculated using a Fine-Gray model.

RESULTS

In our sample of 18,425 discharges, when using patients with the diagnosis of substance-use-disorders as a comparator, a significant increase in hazard of post-discharge suicide for male sex (SHR = 1.67;p = 0.037) as well as the discharge diagnoses of affective disorders (SHR = 3.56;p = 0.017) and neurotic stress and somatoform disorders (SHR = 3.73;p = 0.024) were found. Interestingly, the hazard of suicide significantly decreased in more recent discharges (SHR = 0.93;p = 0.006). No statistically significant association of the length of admission with the suicide risk was found (SHR = 0.98;p = 0.834).

LIMITATIONS

Suicides may have been mis-identified as natural death in the national death register.

CONCLUSION

Male sex and distinct diagnoses were associated with an increased risk for suicide after discharge from a psychiatric care institution. The markedly increased suicide risk within this patient collective highlights the need for the development of tools to assess suicidal behaviour in this group of patients reliably.

A Hybrid Type 1 trial of a multi-component mHealth intervention to improve post-hospital transitions of care for patients with serious mental illness: Study protocol

BACKGROUND

The transition from acute (e.g., psychiatric hospitalization) to outpatient care is associated with increased risk for rehospitalization, treatment disengagement, and suicide among people with serious mental illness (SMI). Mobile interventions (i.e., mHealth) have the potential to increase monitoring and improve coping post-acute care for this population. This protocol paper describes a Hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation study, in which a randomized controlled trial will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of a multi-component mHealth intervention (tFOCUS) for improving outcomes for adults with SMI transitioning from acute to outpatient care.

METHODS

Adults meeting criteria for schizophrenia-spectrum or major mood disorders (n = 180) will be recruited from a psychiatric hospital and randomized to treatment-as-usual (TAU) plus standard discharge planning and aftercare (CHECK-IN) or TAU plus tFOCUS. tFOCUS is a 12-week intervention, consisting of: (a) a patient-facing mHealth smartphone app with daily self-assessment prompts and targeted coping strategies; (b) a clinician-facing web dashboard; and, (c) mHealth aftercare advisors, who will conduct brief post-hospital clinical calls with patients (e.g., safety concerns, treatment engagement) and encourage app use. Follow-ups will be conducted at 6-, 12-, and 24-weeks post-discharge to assess primary and secondary outcomes, as well as target mechanisms. We also will assess barriers and facilitators to future implementation of tFOCUS via qualitative interviews of stakeholders and input from a Community Advisory Board throughout the project.

CONCLUSIONS

Information gathered during this project, in combination with successful study outcomes, will inform a potential tFOCUS intervention scale-up across a range of psychiatric hospitals and healthcare systems.

CLINICALTRIALS

govregistration: NCT05703412.

Effectiveness of a Suicide Prevention Lethal Means Training Program for the General Public

To evaluate the effectiveness of Conversations on Access to Lethal Means for the General Public (CALM-GP), a training for the public focusing on reducing access to lethal means during a crisis. The program adapted Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM), developed for mental health practitioners and physicians. Participants completed pre/post surveys and follow-up surveys three months afterward. Measures included comfort and confidence in talking to a suicidal individual about access to lethal means, the likelihood of follow-up, and the number of lethal means conversations before and after the program. Surveys showed improvement in comfort and confidence talking about safely storing firearms and other lethal means and the likelihood of follow-up with that individual regarding access to lethal means. Results also indicated increased conversations participants had regarding suicide and lethal means at three-month follow-up. This evaluation suggests that CALM-GP is an effective suicide prevention and lethal means program for the public.

Best practice for integrating digital interventions into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide: a Delphi study

BACKGROUND

Digital tools have the capacity to complement and enhance clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. Despite the rapid rise of digital tools, their rate of integration into clinical practice remains low. The poor uptake of digital tools may be in part due to the lack of best-practice guidelines for clinicians and services to safely apply them with this population.

METHODS

A Delphi study was conducted to produce a set of best-practice guidelines for clinicians and services on integrating digital tools into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. First, a questionnaire was developed incorporating action items derived from peer-reviewed and grey literature, and stakeholder interviews with 17 participants. Next, two independent expert panels comprising professionals (academics and clinical staff; n = 20) and young people with lived experience of using digital technology for support with suicidal thoughts and behaviours (n = 29) rated items across two consensus rounds. Items reaching consensus (rated as "essential" or "important" by at least 80% of panel members) at the end of round two were collated into a set of guidelines.

RESULTS

Out of 326 individual items rated by the panels, 188 (57.7%) reached consensus for inclusion in the guidelines. The endorsed items provide guidance on important topics when working with young people, including when and for whom digital tools should be used, how to select a digital tool and identify potentially harmful content, and identifying and managing suicide risk conveyed via digital tools. Several items directed at services (rather than individual clinicians) were also endorsed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers world-first evidence-informed guidelines for clinicians and services to integrate digital tools into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. Implementation of the guidelines is an important next step and will hopefully lead to improved uptake of potentially helpful digital tools in clinical practice.

Novel Telehealth Adaptations for Evidence-Based Outpatient Suicide Treatment: Feasibility and Effectiveness of the Crisis Care Program

Background: Suicide rates in the United States have escalated dramatically over the past 20 years and remain a leading cause of death. Access to evidenced-based care is limited, and telehealth is well-positioned to offer novel care solutions. The Crisis Care program is a suicide-specific treatment program delivered within a national outpatient telehealth setting using a digitally adapted version of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) as the framework of care. This study investigates the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of Crisis Care as scalable suicide-specific treatment model. Methods: Patient engagement, symptom reduction, and care outcomes were examined among a cohort of patients (n = 130) over 16 weeks. The feasibility of implementation was assessed through patient engagement. Clinical outcomes were measured with PHQ-9, GAD-7, and the CAMS SSF-4 rating scales. Results: Over 85% of enrolled patients were approved for Crisis Care at intake, and 83% went on to complete at least four sessions (the minimum required to graduate). All patient subgroups experienced declines in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation frequency, and suicide-specific risk factors. Conclusions: Results support the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of Crisis Care as a suicide-specific care solution that can be delivered within a stepped-care model in an outpatient telehealth setting.

Brief Interventions for Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Young People: A Systematic Review

Rates of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) increase sharply across adolescence and remain high in young adulthood. Across 50 years of research, existing interventions for SITBs remain ineffective and inaccessible for many young people in particular need of mental healthcare. Briefer intervention options may increase access to care. However, many traditional interventions for SITBs take 6 months or more to complete-making it difficult for providers to target SITBs under real-world time constraints. The present review (1) identifies and (2) summarizes evaluations of brief psychosocial interventions for SITBs in young people, ages 10-24 years. We conducted searches for randomized and quasi-experimental trials conducted in the past 50 years that evaluated effects of "brief interventions" (i.e., not exceeding 240 min, or four 60-min sessions in total length) on SITBs in young people. Twenty-six articles were identified for inclusion, yielding a total of 23 brief interventions. Across all trials, results are mixed; only six interventions reported any positive intervention effect on at least one SITB outcome, and only one intervention was identified as "probably efficacious" per standard criteria for evidence-based status. While brief interventions for SITBs exist, future research must determine if, how, and when these interventions should be disseminated.

Suicidality and mood: the impact of trends, seasons, day of the week, and time of day on explicit and implicit cognitions among an online community sample

Decades of research have established seasonality effects on completed and attempted suicides, with rates increasing in spring. Little advancements have been made to explain this phenomenon, with most studies focusing almost exclusively on the number of suicide attempts and deaths. Using more than six years of data collected among a US, UK, and Canadian online community sample (N > 10,000), we used newly developed Prophet forecasting and autoregressive-integrated moving average time-series models to examine the temporal dynamics of explicit and implicit self-harm cognitions. We created three groups (past suicide attempters; suicide ideation and/or non-suicidal self-injury; no previous self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or behaviors). We found a general increase of negative self-harm cognitions across the six years and seasonality effects for mood and desire to die, particularly among those who previously made a suicide attempt. Negative explicit self-harm cognitions peaked in winter (December), with implicit self-harm showing a lagged peak of two months (February). Moreover, daily negative self-harm cognitions consistently peaked around 4-5 am, with implicit cognitions again showing a lagged effect (1-hour). Limitations include the volunteer sample not being representative and the cross-sectional nature of the data being unable to separate between-subject and within-subject structural trends in the time series. Our findings show that negative explicit and implicit cognitions precede the rise in suicidal behaviors in spring. We proposed a conceptual model of seasonal suicide risk that may offer fertile ground for theoretical advancements, including implications for clinical risk assessment and public policies regarding the availability of health services.

Psychosocial factors that distinguish between men and women who have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide: findings from a national probability sample of adults

BACKGROUND

Previous research has highlighted the importance of understanding which psychosocial factors distinguish between those with suicide thoughts compared to those who attempt suicide. This study aims to investigate these distinguishing factors further within an ideation-to-action framework and to explore sex differences in suicide risk.

METHODS

Participants (n = 7546, aged 16+) were from the cross-sectional Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS; 2014) of England. Face-to-face and self-completion questionnaires assessed lifetime suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts, demographic characteristics, life experiences, social support, health and mental illness. Multinomial logistic regression examined factors differentiating between those with suicidal ideation only and suicide attempt histories (with or without suicidal ideation) in men and women.

RESULTS

Overall men were less likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts, compared to females. More factors differentiated between suicidal thoughts and attempts in women compared to in men; these included hospital admission for mental illness, below degree level qualifications, being single and childhood adversity. In men, factors which significantly differentiated between suicidal thoughts and attempts included self-report of professional diagnosis of mental illness and childhood adversity. Higher levels of social support were associated with being in the suicidal thoughts group v. in the attempts group in men.

CONCLUSION

This study identified some key differences between men and women in factors associated with suicide attempts compared to suicidal thoughts. The findings support the use of the ideation-to-action framework to investigate sex differences in suicidal behaviour. Future research should examine the extent to which these factors are associated with suicide risk over time.

Emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking posttraumatic stress disorder to subsequent suicidal thoughts and behaviors following inpatient psychiatric discharge

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well-known risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, there is a scarcity of longitudinal studies exploring underlying pathways. This study sought to examine the mechanistic role of emotion dysregulation in the relations between PTSD and STBs following discharge from psychiatric inpatient treatment, a particularly high-risk period for suicide. Participants were 362 trauma-exposed psychiatric inpatients (45% female, 77% white, M_age = 40.37). PTSD was assessed via a clinical interview (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) during hospitalization, emotion dysregulation was assessed via self-report 3-weeks post-discharge, and STBs were assessed via a clinical interview 6-months post-discharge. St'1ructural equation modeling showed that emotion dysregulation significantly mediated the relation between PTSD and suicidal thoughts (β = 0.10, SE = 0.04, p = .01, 95%CI [0.04, 0.39]) but not suicide attempts (β = 0.04, SE = 0.04, p = .29, 95%CI [-0.03, 0.12]) post-discharge. Findings highlight a potential clinical utility of targeting emotion dysregulation among individuals with PTSD to prevent suicidal thoughts following discharge from psychiatric inpatient treatment.

Trends in patient suicide rate after psychiatric discharge in Korea from 2010 to 2018: A nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

There is limited quantitative evidence to investigate short-term suicide rates although the risk of suicide in psychiatric patients is exceptionally high in the early post-discharge period. This study aimed to explore the trends of the 30 days suicide rate after discharge using population-based data from Korea.

METHODS

This study was conducted on psychiatric patients aged 15 years or older discharged between 2010 and 2018. Patients were extracted from the National Health Insurance Claim Database (NHICD) and information on suicide was obtained from the National Statistical Office. Age-standardized suicide rate (ASR) and Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) within 30 days after discharge was estimated and tested using joinpoint regression.

RESULTS

Of the 1,576,028 patients discharged from hospitals from 2010 to 2018, 53.9 % were male and 47.9 % were aged between 40 and 59 years. The 30 days ASRs for psychiatric patients after discharge varied from 174.9 to 218.0 per 100,000 patients with no clear trend excluding patients with schizophrenia and anxiety disorder. The SMR for suicide within 30 days after discharge was 66.8 in 2016-2018, and patients aged 20 to 39, female, and patients with depression had high SMRs compared to other groups.

LIMITATIONS

Factors that may impact the suicide were not considered in this study. Since the NHICD data is collected for payment of medical expenses, there may be scope for inaccuracies.

CONCLUSIONS

The 30 days suicide rate after psychiatric discharge has failed to decrease between 2010 and 2018. This study recommends early interventions after discharge and intensive interventions for patient groups who may be vulnerable to suicide.

Understanding Suicide over the Life Course Using Data Science Tools within a Triangulation Framework

Suicide and suicidal behaviors are important global health concerns. Preventing suicide requires a nuanced understanding of the nature of suicide risk, both acutely during periods of crisis and broader variation over the lifespan. However, current knowledge of the sources of variation in suicide risk is limited due to methodological and conceptual challenges. New methodological approaches are needed to close the gap between research and clinical practice. This review describes the life course framework as a conceptual model for organizing the scientific study of suicide risk across in four major domains: social relationships, health, housing, and employment. In addition, this review discusses the utility of data science tools as a means of identifying novel, modifiable risk factors for suicide, and triangulation as an overarching approach to ensuring rigor in suicide research as means of addressing existing knowledge gaps and strengthening future research.

The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality compared to enhanced treatment as usual for inpatients who are suicidal: A randomized controlled trial

Background

Although use of inpatient crisis hospital intervention for suicide risk is common, the evidence for inpatient treatments that reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors is remarkably limited. To address this need, this novel feasibility pilot randomized controlled trial compared the use of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) to enhanced treatment as usual (E-TAU) within a standard acute inpatient mental health care setting.

Objectives

We hypothesized that CAMS would be more effective than E-TAU in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. As secondary outcomes we also investigated depressive symptoms, general symptom burden, reasons for living, and quality of the therapeutic relationship.

Methods

All patients were admitted due to acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors. They were randomly assigned to CAMS (n = 43) or E-TAU (n = 45) and assessed at four time points (admission, discharge, 1 month and 5 months after discharge). We used mixed-effects models, effect sizes, and reliable change analyses to compare improvements across and between treatment groups over time.

Results

Intent-to-treat analyses of 88 participants [mean age 32.1, SD = 13.5; n = 47 (53%) females] showed that both groups improved over time across all outcome measures with no significant between-group differences in terms of change in suicidal ideation, depression, reasons for living, and distress. However, CAMS showed larger effect sizes across all measures; for treatment completers CAMS patients showed significant improvement in suicidal ideation (p = 0.01) in comparison to control patients. CAMS patients rated the therapeutic relationship significantly better (p = 0.02) than E-TAU patients and were less likely to attempt suicide within 4 weeks after discharge (p = 0.05).

Conclusions

CAMS and E-TAU were both effective in reducing suicidal thoughts and symptom distress. Within this feasibility RCT the pattern of results was generally supportive of CAMS suggesting that inpatient use of CAMS is both feasible and promising. However, our preliminary results need further replication within well-powered multi-site randomized controlled trials.

Trial registration

DRKS-ID/ICTRP-ID: DRKS00013727. The trial was retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trials Register, registration code/ DRKS-ID: DRKS00013727 on 12.01.2018 and also in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform of the World Health Organization (identical registration code).

Exploring risk factors for re-hospitalization in a psychiatric inpatient setting: a retrospective naturalistic study

BACKGROUND

The reduction of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations is an important clinical challenge in mental health care. In fact, psychiatric re-hospitalization negatively affects the quality of life and the life expectancy of patients with psychiatric disorders. For these reasons, identifying predictors of re-hospitalization is important for better managing psychiatric patients. The first purpose of the present study was to examine the readmission rate in a large sample of inpatients with a psychiatric disorder. Second, we investigated the role of several demographical and clinical features impacting re-hospitalization.  METHOD: This retrospective study enrolled 1001 adult inpatients (510 men and 491 women) consecutively admitted to the University Psychiatric Clinic, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome between January 2018 and January 2022. To identify risk factors for psychiatric re-hospitalization, we divided the sample into 3 subgroups: the Zero-Re group which had no readmission after the index hospitalization, the One-Re group with patients re-admitted only once, and the Two-Re with at least two re-admissions.  RESULTS: The groups differed according to previous hospitalizations, a history of suicide attempts, age at onset, and length of stay. Furthermore, the results of the regression model demonstrated that the Two-Re group was more likely to have a history of suicide attempts and previous hospitalizations.

DISCUSSION

These results indicate the importance of assessing risk factors in psychiatric hospitalized patients and implementing ad hoc prevention strategies for reducing subsequent re-hospitalizations.

Developing inpatient suicide prevention strategies in medical settings: Integrating literature review with expert testimony

OBJECTIVE

According to some recent evidence, suicide rate is higher in inpatients than in the general population around the world. However, suicide prevention strategies (SPS) are poorly focused and understood in medical settings. This study aimed to develop effective SPS and interventions in medical settings of Iran and provide evaluation checklists/procedures for them.

METHODS

The study was performed in two steps, including literature review and expert opinions panel. In the first stage, we conducted a comprehensive literature review to find relevant suicide prevention programs, strategies, interventions, or any efforts to prevent suicide in the medical settings. In the second stage, an expert panel was arranged for developing effective and feasible SPS in medical settings. Data were analyzed through content analysis approach.

RESULTS

Overall, 11 records were included in the literature review. SPS varied from staff training, safety plan and quality improvements, and prevention programs to therapy methods. Finally, in the second stage, the following seven major SPS were recommended by the expert panel: 1) Integration and application of obtained suicidal behavior data through evaluating medical records, 2) Screening and suicide risk assessment, 3) Staff training, 4) Quality improvement, 5) Follow-up of inpatients with high-risk behaviors, 6) Reducing stigma and improving public awareness, and 7) Follow-up of discharged high-risk inpatients. Also, 23 interventions within the strategies were presented.

CONCLUSION

Given that SPS are poorly focused in medical settings, the practical framework that emerged in this study could be used to develop or advance SPS in various medical settings.

Communication pathways from the emergency department to community mental health services: A systematic review

This systematic review synthesizes existing peer reviewed evidence reporting on evaluated strategies used for enhancing communication pathways for continuity of care between the emergency department and mental health community supports. Following the PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework, this review was conducted between January and July 2021. Included articles needed to evaluate communication pathway interventions for continuity of care between the emergency department and mental health community services which support service users with mental health and/or suicidal crisis. The seven included studies identified three support coordination interventions, two motivational interviewing interventions, an electronic record enhanced strategy and results from a phone follow-up study. This review demonstrates that support coordination, motivational interviewing, education, or an enhanced electronic record strategy can improve continuity of care, and in some cases, reduce the need for people to re-present to ED when they are experiencing mental health concerns or suicidal crisis. Results of this review reveal that a multipronged approach of communication pathways for continuity of care would enable more effective connections with mental health community supports and enable better outcomes for people requiring services.

Risk factors for suicide one year after discharge from hospitalization for physical illness in Denmark

While suicide risk following psychiatric hospitalization has been studied extensively, risk following hospitalization for physical illness is less well understood. We used random forests to examine risk factors for suicide in the year following physical illness hospitalization in Denmark. In this case-cohort study, suicide cases were all individuals who died by suicide within one year of a hospitalization for a physical illness (n = 4563) and the comparison subcohort was a 5% random sample of individuals living in Denmark on January 1, 1995 who had a hospitalization for a physical illness between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2015 (n = 177,664). We used random forests to examine identify the most important predictors of suicide stratified by sex. For women, the top 10 most important variables for random forest prediction were all related to psychiatric diagnoses. For men, many physical health conditions also appeared important to suicide prediction. Among the top 10 variables in the variable importance plot for men were influenza, injuries to the head, nervous system surgeries, and cerebrovascular diseases. Suicide prediction after a physical illness hospitalization requires comprehensive consideration of different and multiple factors for each sex.

Encouraging the use of the Veterans Crisis Line among high-risk Veterans: A randomized trial of a Crisis Line Facilitation intervention

The Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) is a core component of VA's suicide prevention strategy. Despite the availability and utility of the VCL, many Veterans do not utilize this resource during times of crisis. A brief, psychoeducational behavioral intervention (termed Crisis Line Facilitation [CLF]) was developed to increase utilization of the VCL and reduce suicidal behaviors in high-risk Veterans. The therapist-led session includes educational information regarding the VCL, as well as a chance to discuss the participant's perceptions of contacting the VCL during periods of crisis. The final component of the session is a practice call placed to the VCL by both the therapist and the participant. The CLF intervention was compared to Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) during a multi-site randomized clinical trial for 307 Veteran participants recently hospitalized for a suicidal crisis who reported no contact with the VCL in the prior 12 months. Initial analyses indicated that participants randomized to the CLF intervention were less likely to report suicidal behaviors, including suicide attempts compared to participants randomized to receive EUC over 12-months of follow-up (χ² = 18.48/p < 0.0001), however this effect was not sustained when analyses were conducted on an individual level. No significant differences were found between conditions on VCL utilization. Initial evidence suggests a brief CLF intervention has an impact on preventing suicidal behaviors in Veterans treated in inpatient mental health programs; however, it may not change use of the VCL. This brief intervention could be easily adapted into clinical settings to be delivered by standard clinical staff.

High depression symptomatology and mental pain characterize suicidal psychiatric patients

BACKGROUND

Symptoms of depression are transdiagnostic heterogenous features frequently assessed in psychiatric disorders, that impact the response to first-line treatment and are associated with higher suicide risk. This study assessed whether severe mental pain could characterize a specific phenotype of severely depressed high-risk psychiatric patients. We also aimed to analyze differences in treatments administered.

METHODS

2,297 adult patients (1,404 females and 893 males; mean age = 43.25 years, SD = 15.15) treated in several Italian psychiatric departments. Patients were assessed for psychiatric diagnoses, mental pain, symptoms of depression, hopelessness, and suicide risk.

RESULTS

More than 23% of the patients reported high depression symptomatology and high mental pain (HI DEP/HI PAIN). Compared to patients with lower symptoms of depression, HI DEP/HI PAIN is more frequent among females admitted to an inpatient department and is associated with higher hopelessness and suicide risk. In addition, HI DEP/HI PAIN (compared to both patients with lower symptoms of depression and patients with higher symptoms of depression but lower mental pain) were more frequently diagnosed in patients with personality disorders and had different treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients reporting severe symptoms of depression and high mental pain presented a mixture of particular dangerousness (high trait hopelessness and the presence of suicide ideation with more frequency and less controllability and previous suicide behaviors). The presence of severe mental pain may act synergically in expressing a clinical phenotype that is likewise treated with a more complex therapeutic regime than that administered to those experiencing symptoms of depression without mental pain.

Suicidal behavior in juvenile bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess rates and lethality of suicidal behavior in studies of children and adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD).

METHODS

This PROSPERO-registered protocol (CRD-42019159676) systematically reviewed reports on suicidal behavior among juveniles (age ≤ 18 years), and pooled data on risk (% of subjects) and rates (%/year), followed by random-effects meta-analysis and multivariable linear regression modeling.

RESULTS

Included were 41 reports (1995-2020) from 15 countries involving 104,801 juveniles (102,519 diagnosed with MDD, 2282 with BD), at risk for 0.80-12.5 years. Meta-analytically pooled suicide attempter-rates averaged 7.44%/year [95%CI: 5.63-9.25] with BD and 6.27%/year [5.13-7.41] with MDD. Meta-analysis of 5 studies with both diagnostic groups found significantly greater attempt risk with BD vs. MDD (OR = 1.59 [1.24-2.05], p < 0.0001). In 6 studies, suicide rate with juvenile mood disorders averaged 125 [56.9-236]/100,000/year, similar to adult rates, >30-times greater than in the general juvenile population, and higher among older adolescents. The ratio of attempts/suicides (A/S) was 52.6 among mood-disordered juveniles, indicating greater lethality than among juveniles in the general population (A/S ≥ 250), but somewhat less than in the estimated adult general population (A/S ca. 30).

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of suicide attempts in juveniles with a major mood disorder averaged 6580/100,000/year, were greater in BD versus MDD observed under the same conditions, and greater with shorter periods of observation. Lethality (fatalities per suicide attempt) was greater in juveniles diagnosed with major affective disorders than in the juvenile general population, but less than in adults.

Assessment of lethality and its clinical correlates in suicide attempters with mood disorders

BACKGROUND

Relatively limited literature is available on lethality assessment for suicide attempts in affective disorders from the Indian subcontinent.

AIMS

To assess the lethality and its clinical correlates in lifetime suicide attempters with mood disorders.

METHODS

A total of 100 lifetime suicide attempters, aged ≥18 years, with a DSM-5 diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) or major depressive disorder-recurrent (MDD-R) were recruited. Current euthymia was ascertained (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) ≤7; Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) ≤4). Assessments were conducted using clinical pro forma, Risk-Rescue Rating Scale (RRRS), Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale (BIS).

RESULTS

Average age of the sample was 36.32 ± 11.76 years (48% males, 52% females). The mean duration of affective illness was 10.59 ± 8.32 years. Risk-rescue scores for lethality were significantly higher in males (vs females), bipolar disorder (vs unipolar), multiple attempters (vs single) and planned (vs unplanned) attempters. Risk-rescue score also showed a significant positive correlation with lifetime total and depressive episodes, and intensity of ideations, and a significant negative correlation with BIS-attention impulsiveness. Regression analysis [F (3,96) = 12.196, P < 0.001, adjusted R² = 0.253] found that lifetime lithium prescription, intensity of suicidal ideations and attention impulsiveness explained 25.3% variance in lethality.

CONCLUSION

Absence of lifetime lithium, higher intensity of suicidal ideations and lower attentional impulsiveness predicted higher lethality of suicide attempts. Lethality of suicide attempts was found to be associated with a multitude of clinical factors, notably male gender, bipolarity, multiple attempts, planned attempts and number of total and depressive episodes. Assessment of lethality and its correlates can help to plan strategies towards risk prevention in mood disorders.

Predictors of nonfatal suicide attempts within 30 days of discharge from psychiatric hospitalization: Sex-specific models developed using population-based registries

BACKGROUND

Risk for nonfatal suicide attempts is heightened in the month after psychiatric hospitalization discharge. Investigations of factors associated with such attempts are limited.

METHODS

We conducted a case-subcohort study using data from Danish medical, administrative, and social registries to develop sex-specific risk models using two machine learning methods: classification trees and random forests. Cases included individuals who received a diagnostic code for a nonfatal suicide attempt within 30 days of discharge following a psychiatric hospitalization between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2015 (n = 3166, 56.5% female). The comparison subcohort consisted of a 5% random sample of individuals living in Denmark (n = 24,559, 51.3% female) on January 1, 1995 who had a psychiatric hospitalization during the study period.

RESULTS

Histories of self-poisoning, substance-related disorders, and eating disorders were important predictors of nonfatal suicide attempt among women, with notable interactions observed between age, self-poisoning history, and other characteristics (e.g., medication use). Self-poisoning, substance-related disorders, and severe stress reactions were among the most important variables for men, with key interactions noted between self-poisoning history, age, major depressive disorder diagnosis, and prescription classes.

LIMITATIONS

Findings are based on Danish administrative data, which may be subject to inaccuracies, missingness, etc. It is unclear whether results would generalize to other populations.

CONCLUSIONS

Markers of behavioral dysregulation were important predictors of nonfatal suicide attempts in the 30 days after psychiatric hospitalization discharge for both sexes. Examining risk markers for nonfatal suicide attempt following discharge is important to enhance support for this vulnerable population.

Effectiveness of the Hunter Way Back Support Service: An historical controlled trial of a brief non-clinical after-care program for hospital-treated deliberate self-poisoning

INTRODUCTION

Active contact and follow-up interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing repetition of hospital-treated self-harm. The Way Back Support Service (WBSS) is a new service funded by the Australian government to provide three months of non-clinical after-care following a hospital-treated suicide attempt. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of WBSS in reducing deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) and psychiatric hospital admissions over a 12-month follow-up period for a population of DSP patients within the Hunter (Australia) region.

METHODS

A non-randomized, historical controlled (two periods) trial design with intention-to-treat analyses. Outcome data were drawn from hospital records.

RESULTS

There were a total of 2770 participants across study periods. There were no significant differences between cohorts for proportion with any, or number of, re-admissions for DSP in the follow-up period. For psychiatric admissions, the intervention cohort had a non-significantly greater proportion with any psychiatric admission and significantly more admissions compared to one of the control cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The WBSS model of care should be modified to strengthen treatment engagement and retention and to include established, clinical, evidence-based treatments shown to reduce DSP repetition. Any modified WBSS model should be subject to further evaluation.

Identification of potential blood biomarkers associated with suicide in major depressive disorder

Suicides have increased to over 48,000 deaths yearly in the United States. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common diagnosis among suicides, and identifying those at the highest risk for suicide is a pressing challenge. The objective of this study is to identify changes in gene expression associated with suicide in brain and blood for the development of biomarkers for suicide. Blood and brain were available for 45 subjects (53 blood samples and 69 dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) samples in total). Samples were collected from MDD patients who died by suicide (MDD-S), MDDs who died by other means (MDD-NS) and non-psychiatric controls. We analyzed gene expression using RNA and the NanoString platform. In blood, we identified 14 genes which significantly differentiated MDD-S versus MDD-NS. The top six genes differentially expressed in blood were: PER3, MTPAP, SLC25A26, CD19, SOX9, and GAR1. Additionally, four genes showed significant changes in brain and blood between MDD-S and MDD-NS; SOX9 was decreased and PER3 was increased in MDD-S in both tissues, while CD19 and TERF1 were increased in blood but decreased in DLPFC. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze matched blood and brain samples in a well-defined population of MDDs demonstrating significant differences in gene expression associated with completed suicide. Our results strongly suggest that blood gene expression is highly informative to understand molecular changes in suicide. Developing a suicide biomarker signature in blood could help health care professionals to identify subjects at high risk for suicide.

Self-harm, somatic disorders and mortality in the 3 years following a hospitalisation in psychiatry in adolescents and young adults

Background

There is limited recent information regarding the risk of self-harm, somatic disorders and premature mortality following discharge from psychiatric hospital in young people.

Objective

To measure these risks in young people discharged from a psychiatric hospital as compared with both non-affected controls and non-hospitalised affected controls.

Methods

Data were extracted from the French national health records. Cases were compared with two control groups. Cases: all individuals aged 12–24 years, hospitalised in psychiatry in France in 2013–2014. Non-affected controls: matched for age and sex with cases, not hospitalised in psychiatry and no identification of a mental disorder in 2008–2014. Affected controls: unmatched youths identified with a mental disorder between 2008 and 2014, never hospitalised in psychiatry. Follow-up of 3 years. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with these confounding variables: age, sex, past hospitalisation for self-harm, past somatic disorder diagnosis.

Findings

The studied population comprised 73 300 hospitalised patients (53.6% males), 219 900 non-affected controls and 9 683 affected controls. All rates and adjusted risks were increased in hospitalised patients versus both non-affected and affected controls regarding a subsequent hospitalisation for self-harm (HR=105.5, 95% CIs (89.5 to 124.4) and HR=1.5, 95% CI (1.4 to 1.6)), a somatic disorder diagnosis (HR=4.1, 95% CI (3.9–4.1) and HR=1.4, 95% CI (1.3–1.5)), all-cause mortality (HR=13.3, 95% CI (10.6–16.7) and HR=2.2, 95% CI (1.5–3.0)) and suicide (HR=9.2, 95% CI (4.3–19.8) and HR=1.7, 95% CI (1.0–2.9)).

Conclusions

The first 3 years following psychiatric hospital admission of young people is a period of high risk for self-harm, somatic disorders and premature mortality.

Clinical implications

Attention to these negative outcomes urgently needs to be incorporated in aftercare policies.

Hospital-Based Suicides: Challenging Existing Myths

Myths are widely held and often based on false beliefs. To improve patient safety and speed the translation of research to clinical practice, we highlight and then debunk 10 common myths regarding the assessment, treatment, and management of hospitalized patients at risk for suicide. Myths regarding hospital-based suicides are examined and empirical evidence that counters each myth is offered. Ten common myths regarding hospital-based suicides are found to be untrue or unsupported based on existing empirical evidence. Rethinking common beliefs and practices that lack empirical support and seeking alternatives based on research evidence is consistent with an emphasis on evidence-based practices leading to improved patient care and protection.

Substance use-related suicide after release from correctional, behavioral health, and healthcare facilities using national violent death reporting system data

INTRODUCTION

Suicide and substance use are prevalent problems among persons discharged from facilities. This study (1) articulated rates of substance-related suicide deaths among those discharged correctional, behavioral health, and healthcare facilities, and (2) identified factors associated with substance-related suicide deaths unique to, or generalizing across, facility discharge.

METHODS

We used data from the National Violent Death Reporting System. Suicide deaths (N = 105,968) were aggregated from 2003 to 2017. Chi-square and independent samples t-tests were used to examine associations between drug/alcohol-related deaths and each correlate. Logistic regression was employed to identify the most robust substance-related suicide death-related factors.

RESULTS

Suicide deaths were commonly marked as being substance-related: 69% from correctional institutions, 54% from behavioral health facilities, 45% from those not released from a facility, and 39% from healthcare facilities. Regression models indicated housing interruptions and interpersonal stressors increased odds of the suicide death being marked as substance-related across discharge categories. Each discharge category also had unique predictors, underscoring the need for tailored prevention.

CONCLUSIONS

Substance-related suicide deaths are particularly common among adults discharged from correctional and behavioral health facilities. Findings are discussed with respect to community-focused, discharge planning, and clinical care suicide prevention strategies.

Suicidal risks in rural versus urban populations in Sardinia

OBJECTIVE

Rural locations have been associated with suicidal risk; low population density may be a relevant factor. Accordingly, we investigated hypothesized associations between suicidal ideation and behavior with selected geographic and population-related measures and other factors.

METHODS

Consenting adult patients at a mood disorder center in Cagliari, Sardinia, were assessed for the presence of suicidal ideation and acts and their association with selected demographic and clinical factors as well as indicators of urbanicity and rurality, including distance from the region's main metropolitan area, population density, altitude, and population growth trends.

RESULTS

Of 5,668 subjects, 27% had an indication of lifetime suicidal behavior or ideation; 8.6% had at least one suicidal act. Low population density, higher altitude and their interaction, distance from the metropolitan center of the main city (Cagliari), and population decline were associated with greater risk of suicidal ideation or behavior. In addition, and as expected, alcohol or substance abuse, diagnosis of mood disorders, higher depression ratings at intake, being younger at illness-onset, family history of suicide or other psychiatric disorder, being female, unmarried, separated or divorced, currently smoking cigarettes, being unemployed, and having experienced sexual abuse all were more likely in subjects with suicidal ideation or behavior.

CONCLUSION

Suicidal ideation and behavior were associated with indicators of social isolation as well as with previously reported clinical and demographic risk factors.

An age-period-cohort study of completed suicides in Greece: Patterns and implications for suicide prevention

Suicide is a dynamic phenomenon. Psychiatric medication intake, illicit drug and alcohol use or the preference for particular suicide methods shift continuously over time. To capture such variations -and their potential implications for suicide prevention-, we researched the forensic records of suicide cases for the period 1992-2016 at a large department of forensic medicine and conducted age-period-cohort (APC) analyses of our sample (1162 suicides, 77.45% males, 22.25% females). We primarily investigated socio-demographic and toxicological parameters. Benzodiazepine, alcohol and illicit drug use increased considerably towards the younger cohorts. The segment of individuals of foreign nationality raised significantly too; likewise, the proportion of prison suicides. Hanging appears increasingly preferred by the younger APCs (the opposite is true for jumping). Hanging seems more popular among males, prisoners, and those under the influence of illicit drugs; jumping by females and those less likely to have consumed alcohol or illicit drugs. Given that the method of a prior attempt, if a highly lethal one, usually gets repeated in the completed suicide, a history of an attempt by hanging should never be underestimated. The mental health needs of immigrants and prisoners look inadequately addressed. Young-middle aged immigrant prisoners appear a group at high suicide risk.

National Disability Insurance Scheme and Lived Experience of People Presenting to the Emergency Department: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

Background

Currently, within Australia, 3.6% of all emergency department (ED) presentations are mental health–related. Information about the context of the person presenting to the ED (beyond immediate needs), including their psychosocial disability (PSD) National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan, is reported as incomplete and fragmented. There are missed opportunities for early support and care continuity that could potentially inform ED practitioners to revise current practices.

Objective

The aims of this study are: (1) to obtain original data from the lived experience voice of those with the PSD NDIS plan and their experience when presenting to an ED, (2) to gather information from NDIS service providers to reveal communication pathways between the ED and NDIS services, and (3) to gain knowledge from ED clinicians around processes for improving continuity of care and consumer experience.

Methods

This inductive, mixed methods phenomenological study will involve data collection analyzed sequentially, with each stage informing future stages of the research. Interviews will focus on the lived experience voice exploring concerns that have led to an ED presentation, alongside an analysis of associated clinical and administrative documentation and communications. Focus groups with NDIS support workers and support coordinators will provide phenomenological data around the experience from their perspective. National quantitative surveys among those with a PSD NDIS plan and emergency services clinicians will provide insight into current practices within community care and ED presentations. The research project design includes a lived experience advisory group who are assisting with the design of the interview and focus group schedules and national surveys, as well as in shaping the interpretation of qualitative information. All transcripts will be subject to thematic analysis to understand individuals’ meaning-making of these complex and particular phenomena. The research team includes a lived experience researcher and a lived experience carer (PhD candidate).

Results

This study is funded by MIND Australia as a PhD industry scholarship, which commenced in April 2020. A systematic review as a preresearch activity has been completed and is currently under review. The Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of South Australia has approved this project. An advisory group has been selected, and interview, focus group, and survey schedules are currently being codesigned. Recruitment will commence in November 2021. It is envisaged that data collection will be completed by June 2022.

Conclusions

Understanding the lived experience of the precare, during care, and postcare stages of ED presentations from the perspective of those with a PSD NDIS plan will inform the research team around current practices and provide information about improvement for pathways of care for consumers and carers, while also informing health policy.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/33268

Risk of suicide after discharge from inpatient psychiatric care: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The period following discharge from inpatient psychiatric care is recognised as an especially high-risk time for patient suicide. Astonishingly, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies examining risk and protective factors in this specific population. The aim of this study was to establish the protective and risk factors for suicide in the first year post-discharge (PD) from psychiatric facilities and their utility in categorising patients as high or low risk in a meaningful way to benefit clinical care and improve patient outcomes.

METHODS

A methodical search of three databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and PsychINFO) was used to identify reports describing risk factors for suicide after psychiatric discharge.

RESULTS

Predominantly, male sex, a history of self-harm, a history of suicide attempts, admission with suicidal ideation or suicidal behaviour, and hopelessness were identified as being associated with death by suicide after discharge. Lithium appeared to be protective against suicide in the studies reviewed. Other variables examined showed mixed results.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this review suggest that significant suicide predictors both common and unique to those established for suicide in the general population exist and can be utilised in a clinically meaningful way, despite the difficulties inherent in studying this population.KEY POINTSThe risk of suicide after psychiatric hospitalisation is high.Factors that predict suicide after psychiatric hospitalisation overlap only partially with risk factors for suicide in general.Important risk factors for suicide in the post-discharge period include male sex, a history of self-harm, a history of suicide attempts, the presence of suicidal ideation during the admission, and hopelessness.The conclusions that can be drawn from the existing literature are limited by small study sizes, different study populations, and different follow-up periods; additional research in this domain is needed.

Shorter and longer-term risk for non-fatal suicide attempts among male U.S. military veterans after discharge from psychiatric hospitalization

Although there are key differences in shorter-term (days 1-90) and longer-term (days 91-365) risk factors for suicide after discharge from inpatient psychiatry, there are no comparable data on non-fatal suicide attempts. Risk factors for non-fatal attempts in the first 90 days after discharge were compared with those over the remainder of the year to identify temporal changes in risk. Records were extracted from 208,554 male veterans discharged from Veterans Health Administration acute psychiatric inpatient units from 2008 through 2013. Proportional hazard regression models identified correlates of non-fatal attempts for 1-90 days and 91-365 days; adjusted piecewise proportional hazards regression compared risk between these time frames. 5010 (2.4%) veterans made a non-fatal attempt, 1261 (0.60%) on days 1-90 and 3749 (1.78%) on days 91-365. Risk across both time frames was highest among younger veterans ages 18-59, and those hospitalized with a suicide attempt or suicidal ideation. It was lowest among those with a dementia diagnosis. Risk estimates were generally stable over time but increased among those with substance use disorders and decreased among those with sleep disturbance and discharged against medical advice. Estimates of some risk factors for non-fatal attempts change over time in the year after discharge and differ from those that change for suicide. Different preventive approaches may be needed to reduce shorter and longer-term risk for non-fatal attempts and suicide in the year after discharge.

Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults

BACKGROUND

Self-harm (SH; intentional self-poisoning or self-injury regardless of degree of suicidal intent or other types of motivation) is a growing problem in most counties, often repeated, and associated with suicide. There has been a substantial increase in both the number of trials and therapeutic approaches of psychosocial interventions for SH in adults. This review therefore updates a previous Cochrane Review (last published in 2016) on the role of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of SH in adults.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of psychosocial interventions for self-harm (SH) compared to comparison types of care (e.g. treatment-as-usual, routine psychiatric care, enhanced usual care, active comparator) for adults (aged 18 years or older) who engage in SH.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Specialised Register, the Cochrane Library (Central Register of Controlled Trials [CENTRAL] and Cochrane Database of Systematic reviews [CDSR]), together with MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and PsycINFO (to 4 July 2020).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing interventions of specific psychosocial treatments versus treatment-as-usual (TAU), routine psychiatric care, enhanced usual care (EUC), active comparator, or a combination of these, in the treatment of adults with a recent (within six months of trial entry) episode of SH resulting in presentation to hospital or clinical services. The primary outcome was the occurrence of a repeated episode of SH over a maximum follow-up period of two years. Secondary outcomes included treatment adherence, depression, hopelessness, general functioning, social functioning, suicidal ideation, and suicide.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We independently selected trials, extracted data, and appraised trial quality. For binary outcomes, we calculated odds ratio (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For continuous outcomes, we calculated mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs. The overall quality of evidence for the primary outcome (i.e. repetition of SH at post-intervention) was appraised for each intervention using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We included data from 76 trials with a total of 21,414 participants. Participants in these trials were predominately female (61.9%) with a mean age of 31.8 years (standard deviation [SD] 11.7 years). On the basis of data from four trials, individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based psychotherapy may reduce repetition of SH as compared to TAU or another comparator by the end of the intervention (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.02; N = 238; k = 4; GRADE: low certainty evidence), although there was imprecision in the effect estimate. At longer follow-up time points (e.g., 6- and 12-months) there was some evidence that individual CBT-based psychotherapy may reduce SH repetition. Whilst there may be a slightly lower rate of SH repetition for dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) (66.0%) as compared to TAU or alternative psychotherapy (68.2%), the evidence remains uncertain as to whether DBT reduces absolute repetition of SH by the post-intervention assessment. On the basis of data from a single trial, mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) reduces repetition of SH and frequency of SH by the post-intervention assessment (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.73; N = 134; k = 1; GRADE: high-certainty evidence). A group-based emotion-regulation psychotherapy may also reduce repetition of SH by the post-intervention assessment based on evidence from two trials by the same author group (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.88; N = 83; k = 2; moderate-certainty evidence). There is probably little to no effect for different variants of DBT on absolute repetition of SH, including DBT group-based skills training, DBT individual skills training, or an experimental form of DBT in which participants were given significantly longer cognitive exposure to stressful events. The evidence remains uncertain as to whether provision of information and support, based on the Suicide Trends in At-Risk Territories (START) and the SUicide-PREvention Multisite Intervention Study on Suicidal behaviors (SUPRE-MISS) models, have any effect on repetition of SH by the post-intervention assessment. There was no evidence of a difference for psychodynamic psychotherapy, case management, general practitioner (GP) management, remote contact interventions, and other multimodal interventions, or a variety of brief emergency department-based interventions.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Overall, there were significant methodological limitations across the trials included in this review. Given the moderate or very low quality of the available evidence, there is only uncertain evidence regarding a number of psychosocial interventions for adults who engage in SH. Psychosocial therapy based on CBT approaches may result in fewer individuals repeating SH at longer follow-up time points, although no such effect was found at the post-intervention assessment and the quality of evidence, according to the GRADE criteria, was low. Given findings in single trials, or trials by the same author group, both MBT and group-based emotion regulation therapy should be further developed and evaluated in adults. DBT may also lead to a reduction in frequency of SH. Other interventions were mostly evaluated in single trials of moderate to very low quality such that the evidence relating to the use of these interventions is inconclusive at present.

Assessing the predictive ability of the Suicide Crisis Inventory for near-term suicidal behavior using machine learning approaches

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the prediction of near-term suicidal behavior using machine learning (ML) analyses of the Suicide Crisis Inventory (SCI), which measures the Suicide Crisis Syndrome, a presuicidal mental state.

METHODS

SCI data were collected from high-risk psychiatric inpatients (N = 591) grouped based on their short-term suicidal behavior, that is, those who attempted suicide between intake and 1-month follow-up dates (N = 20) and those who did not (N = 571). Data were analyzed using three predictive algorithms (logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting) and three sampling approaches (split sample, Synthetic minority oversampling technique, and enhanced bootstrap).

RESULTS

The enhanced bootstrap approach considerably outperformed the other sampling approaches, with random forest (98.0% precision; 33.9% recall; 71.0% Area under the precision-recall curve [AUPRC]; and 87.8% Area under the receiver operating characteristic [AUROC]) and gradient boosting (94.0% precision; 48.9% recall; 70.5% AUPRC; and 89.4% AUROC) algorithms performing best in predicting positive cases of near-term suicidal behavior using this dataset.

CONCLUSIONS

ML can be useful in analyzing data from psychometric scales, such as the SCI, and for predicting near-term suicidal behavior. However, in cases such as the current analysis where the data are highly imbalanced, the optimal method of measuring performance must be carefully considered and selected.

Examination of physician factors influencing psychiatric assessment of acutely suicidal patients

Suicide risk assessment is a subjective process and remains a clinical challenge in psychiatry. We aimed to examine physicians' characteristics that influence management of acutely suicidal patients. In a cross-sectional design, we performed an anonymous internet survey of psychiatry residents and attendings from four academic centers. Gender, years of experience, practice setting, prior patient suicide, and personal exposure to suicide were characterized. Participants were presented with three clinical vignettes and asked to rate suicide risk and clinical disposition. The relationship between responses to the vignettes and physician characteristics were examined with generalized linear models. Fifty-four residents and 49 attendings completed the survey. Four (7%) residents and 24 (49%) attendings had patients die by suicide, whereas 32 (59%) and 36 (74%), respectively, knew somebody outside their practice who died by suicide. Among residents, lower rating of acute suicide risk was associated with prior exposure to non-patient suicide. Less hospitalization chosen by attendings was associated with greater perceived difficulty of suicide risk assessment. In the combined resident and attending sample, less proneness to hospitalize was associated with number of previous patients die by suicide and with outpatient practice. Our results suggest that previous exposure to suicide is associated with more risk-averse management.

Prevention of suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Excess mortality is a critical hallmark of bipolar disorder (BD) due to co-occurring general medical disorders and especially from suicide. It is timely to review of the status of suicide in BD and to consider the possibility of limiting suicidal risk.

METHODS

We carried out a semi-systematic review of recent research reports pertaining to suicide in BD.

FINDINGS

Suicide risk in BD is greater than with most other psychiatric disorders. Suicide rates (per 100,000/year) are approximately 11 and 4 in the adult and juvenile general populations, but over 200 in adults, and 100 among juveniles diagnosed with BD. Suicide attempt rates with BD are at least 20 times higher than in the adult general population, and over 50 times higher among juveniles. Notable suicidal risk factors in BD include: previous suicidal acts, depression, mixed-agitated-dysphoric moods, rapid mood-shifts, impulsivity, and co-occurring substance abuse. Suicide-preventing therapeutics for BD remain severely underdeveloped. Evidence favoring lithium treatment is stronger than for other measures, although encouraging findings are emerging for other treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Suicide is a leading clinical challenge for those caring for BD patients. Improved understanding of risk and protective factors combined with knowledge and close follow-up of BD patients should limit suicidal risk. Ethically appropriate and scientifically sound studies of plausible medicinal, physical, and psychosocial treatments aimed at suicide prevention specifically for BD patients are urgently needed.

The Role of New Technologies to Prevent Suicide in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background and objectives: Suicide in adolescents represents a major public health concern. To date, a growing number of suicide preventive strategies based on the use of new technologies are emerging. We aimed to provide an overview of the present literature on the use of new technologies in adolescent suicide prevention. Materials and methods: An electronic search was run using the following keywords: Technology OR Technologies OR APP OR Application OR mobile application) AND (Adolescent OR youth OR puberty) AND (Suicid* OR Self-harm OR self-destruction). Inclusion criteria were: English language, published in a peer-reviewed journal, suicide prevention with the use of new technologies among adolescents. Results: Our search strategy yielded a total of 12 studies on the use of telemedicine, 7 on mobile applications, and 3 on language detection. We also found heterogeneity regarding the study design: 3 are randomized controlled trials (RCT), 13 are open-label single group trials, 2 are randomized studies, and 1 is a cross-sectional study. Telemedicine was the most adopted tool, especially web-based approaches. Mobile applications mostly focused on screening of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, and for clinical monitoring through the use of text messages. Although telepsychiatry and mobile applications can provide a fast and safe tool, supporting and preceding a face-to-face clinical assessment, only a few studies demonstrated efficacy in preventing suicide among adolescents through the use of these interventions. Some studies suggested algorithms able to recognize people at risk of suicide from the exploration of the language on social media posts. Conclusions: New technologies were found to be well accepted and tolerated supports for suicide prevention in adolescents. However, to date, few data support the use of such interventions in clinical practice and preventive strategies. Further studies are needed to test their efficacy in suicide prevention among adolescents and young adults.

Pharmacological interventions for self-harm in adults

BACKGROUND

Self-harm (SH; intentional self-poisoning or self-injury regardless of degree of suicidal intent or other types of motivation) is a growing problem in most countries, often repeated, and associated with suicide. Evidence assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological agents and/or natural products in the treatment of SH is lacking, especially when compared with the evidence for psychosocial interventions. This review therefore updates a previous Cochrane Review (last published in 2015) on the role of pharmacological interventions for SH in adults.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of pharmacological agents or natural products for SH compared to comparison types of treatment (e.g. placebo or alternative pharmacological treatment) for adults (aged 18 years or older) who engage in SH.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Specialised Register, the Cochrane Library (Central Register of Controlled Trials [CENTRAL] and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [CDSR]), together with MEDLINE. Ovid Embase and PsycINFO (to 4 July 2020).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pharmacological agents or natural products with placebo/alternative pharmacological treatment in individuals with a recent (within six months of trial entry) episode of SH resulting in presentation to hospital or clinical services. The primary outcome was the occurrence of a repeated episode of SH over a maximum follow-up period of two years. Secondary outcomes included treatment acceptability, treatment adherence, depression, hopelessness, general functioning, social functioning, suicidal ideation, and suicide.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We independently selected trials, extracted data, and appraised trial quality. For binary outcomes, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence internals (CIs). For continuous outcomes we calculated the mean difference (MD) or standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI. The overall certainty of evidence for the primary outcome (i.e. repetition of SH at post-intervention) was appraised for each intervention using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We included data from seven trials with a total of 574 participants. Participants in these trials were predominately female (63.5%) with a mean age of 35.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 3.1 years). It is uncertain if newer generation antidepressants reduce repetition of SH compared to placebo (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.19; N = 129; k = 2; very low-certainty evidence). There may be a lower rate of SH repetition for antipsychotics (21%) as compared to placebo (75%) (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.50; N = 30; k = 1; low-certainty evidence). However, there was no evidence of a difference between antipsychotics compared to another comparator drug/dose for repetition of SH (OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.50 to 4.58; N = 53; k = 1; low-certainty evidence). There was also no evidence of a difference for mood stabilisers compared to placebo for repetition of SH (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.33 to 2.95; N = 167; k = 1; very low-certainty evidence), or for natural products compared to placebo for repetition of SH (OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.38 to 4.62; N = 49; k = 1; lo- certainty) evidence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Given the low or very low quality of the available evidence, and the small number of trials identified, there is only uncertain evidence regarding pharmacological interventions in patients who engage in SH. More and larger trials of pharmacotherapy are required, preferably using newer agents. These might include evaluation of newer atypical antipsychotics. Further work should also include evaluation of adverse effects of pharmacological agents. Other research could include evaluation of combined pharmacotherapy and psychological treatment.

Assessment of Suicide Risks During the First Week Immediately After Discharge From Psychiatric Inpatient Facility

Background: The suicide rate in first week after psychiatric discharge is alarmingly high. Although a risk assessment prior to discharge is standard praxis, it can be difficult to take into consideration the obstacles that patient will meet once discharged. A follow-up-visit during the first week after discharge is an opportunity to reevaluate whether a person may be at risk of suicide. Aim: To determine how many patients, of those who were assessed, were evaluated to be at elevated risk of suicide during the first week after psychiatric discharge and secondarily to identify predictors of this and predictors for receiving a follow-up visit during first week after discharge. Methods: All patients discharged between March 1st 2018 to January 17th 2019 were offered a home visit including a systematic risk assessment. Socio-demographics and clinical variables were obtained from medical records and logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of a higher suicide risk assessment as well as receiving a follow-up visit. Results: Information from 1905 discharges were included. Of these, 1,052 were seen in follow-up meetings. Risk assessments was conducted in a total of 567 discharge procedures, of which 28 (5%) had an elevated risk of suicide. A history of suicide attempt, suicide risk having been the reason for admission, a first diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder was associated with an elevated risk of suicide after discharge. Conclusion: Follow-up visits could serve as an important tool to identify people whose suicidal risk were overlooked at discharge or exposed to severe stressors after discharge.

Safe clinical practice for patients hospitalised in mental health wards during a suicidal crisis: qualitative study of patient experiences

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore suicidal patients' experiences of safe clinical practice during hospitalisation in mental health wards. The study was guided by the following research question: How do suicidal patients experience safe clinical practice during hospitalisation in mental health wards?

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A qualitative design with semistructured individual interviews was applied. Eighteen patients hospitalised with suicidal behaviour in specialised mental health wards for adults at a Norwegian hospital participated in the study. Data were analysed thematically and inductively using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Patients in a suicidal crisis experienced safe clinical care in mental health wards characterised by the following three themes: (1) being recognised as suicidal, (2) receiving tailor-made treatment and (3) being protected by adaptive practice.

CONCLUSION

This study illuminates the experiences of safe clinical practice for patients in a suicidal crisis. The patient group was multifaceted, with variable experiences of how safe clinical practice affected their subjective experience of safety and suicidal behaviour. The finding highlights the importance of embracing personalised activities in all parts of safe clinical practice and to recognise rather than efface patients' variability in patient safety efforts.

Decomposing implicit associations about life and death improves our understanding of suicidal behavior

The Death/Suicide Implicit Association Test (IAT) is effective at detecting and prospectively predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, traditional IAT scoring procedures used in all prior studies (i.e., D-scores) provide an aggregate score that is inherently relative, obfuscating the separate associations (i.e., "Me = Death/Suicide," "Me = Life") that might be most relevant for understanding suicide-related implicit cognition. Here, we decompose the D-scores and validate a new analytic technique called the Decomposed D-scores ("DD-scores") that creates separate scores for each category ("Me," "Not Me") in the IAT. Across large online volunteer samples (N > 12,000), results consistently showed that a weakened association between "Me = Life" is more strongly predictive of having a history of suicidal attempts than is a stronger association between "Me = Death/Suicide." These findings replicated across three different versions of the IAT and were observed when calculated using both reaction times and error rates. However, among those who previously attempted suicide, a strengthened association between "Me = Death" is more strongly predictive of the recency of a suicide attempt. These results suggest that decomposing traditional IAT D-scores can offer new insights into the mental associations that may underlie clinical phenomena and may help to improve the prediction, and ultimately the prevention, of these clinical outcomes.

Suicide risk after psychiatric discharge: study protocol of a naturalistic, long-term, prospective observational study

Background

Suicide risk of psychiatric patients has proven to be strongly increased in the months after discharge from a psychiatric hospital. Despite this high risk, there is a lack of systematic research on the causes of this elevated suicide risk as well as a lack of treatment and intervention for patients at high risk after discharge. The main objective of this pilot study is, firstly, to examine the factors contributing to the elevated suicide risk and, secondly, to investigate whether an additional setting of care starting at discharge may reduce suicidality.

Methods

In this multi-centre pilot study, treatment as usual is complemented by an additional 18-month post-discharge setting of care for psychiatric patients at high risk for suicide. Two groups of patients differing in the amount of post-discharge personal contacts will be compared. One group of patients will be offered continuous personal contacts after discharge (months 1–6: monthly contacts; months 6–18: every 2 months) while another group of patients will receive contacts only at months 6, 12, and 18 after discharge. Data on suicidality, as well as associated with other symptoms, treatment, and significant events, will be collected. In the case of health-related severe events, the setting of care allows the patient to have the opportunity to connect with the doctor or therapist treating the patient.

Discussion

The results of this study will contribute to identifying critical factors raising suicide risk after discharge and will demonstrate the potential influence on suicide prevention of a setting of care with regular personal contact after discharge.

Trial registration

ZMVI1-2517FSB135 – funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health.

The effect of sex on suicide risk during and after psychiatric inpatient care in 12 countries-An ecological study

BACKGROUND

Suicide risk in patients is markedly elevated during psychiatric inpatient care, as well as after discharge. However, it is unclear whether, and to what extent, this increased suicide risk varies between sex. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze sex differences for suicides during and after psychiatric hospitalization in various countries.

METHODS

National suicide mortality rates and inpatient-related suicide rates (three intervals: during psychiatric inpatient treatment, 1 month, and 1 year after discharge) from 12 countries for 2000-2016 were analyzed, and a logistic model was used to quantify the effect of sex.

RESULTS

Persons admitted to or discharged from psychiatric inpatient care exhibited significantly increased rates of suicide compared to those in the general population. Furthermore, increase of suicide risk was significantly higher for females than for males for all investigated time intervals (inpatient suicide odds ratio [OR] 1.85; suicide within 1 month after discharge-OR 1.94; suicide within 1 year after discharge-OR 2.04).

CONCLUSION

Analysis confirmed the time during and after psychiatric inpatient care to be significantly associated with an elevated risk for suicide. Further, a significant sex effect was observed, with females in this population being at a proportionally higher risk for suicide during psychiatric inpatient treatment as well as the year following discharge. Our study implicates that more effective suicide preventive measures during inpatient stay, focusing on female patients, are needed.

Suicide mortality after discharge from inpatient care for bipolar disorder: A 14-year Swedish national registry study

Bipolar disorder has long been associated with increased risks for suicidality; though factors associated with dying by suicide remain obscure. Here, we retrospectively examine the associations between the different phases of bipolar illness and other common comorbidities with death by suicide in the 120 days following each discharge for Swedes first admitted as inpatients for bipolar disorder during the years 2000-2014. Data on admissions and suicide deaths were extracted from the Swedish National Patient Register and the Cause of Death Register, respectively. ICD-10 diagnostic codes were used to define the phases: depressive, manic, mixed, and other; and the comorbidities: specific substance use disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and personality disorders. Extended Cox regressions were employed to model the time to death by suicide as a function of the bipolar phases, comorbidities, and other important control variables. Our analysis included 60,643 admissions by 22,402 patients over an observation time of 15,187 person-years. Overall, 213 (35.7%) of all suicides occurred within 120 days of discharge. Upon adjustment and compared to the depressive phases, manic phases were significantly associated with a far lower hazard of dying by suicide (HR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.56, p < 0.001), though mixed phases were not (HR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.48-1.73, p = 0.957). With regard to comorbidity, only sedative use disorder remained significantly associated with dying by suicide upon adjustment (HR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.41-3.06, p = 0.001). Vigilant monitoring of patients post discharge and of prescription practices are recommended.