Suicide Behaviors in Adult Inpatients with Mental Disorders in Beijing, China

Global climate change: Effects of future temperatures on emergency department visits for mental disorders in Beijing, China

Rising temperatures can increase the risk of mental disorders. As climate change intensifies, the future disease burden due to mental disorders may be underestimated. Using data on the number of daily emergency department visits for mental disorders at 30 hospitals in Beijing, China during 2016-2018, the relationship between daily mean temperature and such visits was assessed using a quasi-Poisson model integrated with a distributed lag nonlinear model. Emergency department visits for mental disorders attributed to temperature changes were projected using 26 general circulation models under four climate change scenarios. Stratification analyses were then conducted by disease subtype, sex, and age. The results indicate that the temperature-related health burden from mental disorders was projected to increase consistently throughout the 21st century, mainly driven by high temperatures. The future temperature-related health burden was higher for patients with mental disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances and schizophrenia as well as for women and those aged <65 years. These findings enhance our knowledge of how climate change could affect mental well-being and can be used to advance and refine targeted approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change with a view on addressing mental disorders.

Psychological Strain and Suicidal Ideation in Athletes: The Multiple Mediating Effects of Hopelessness and Depression

The present study aims to examine the relationship between psychological strain, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and depression among Chinese athletes. Participants were 774 Chinese athletes (454 men and 320 women), with a range of ages from 12 to 35 (M = 18.47, SD = 3.39). The structural equation modeling method was used to examine the multiple mediating effects of hopelessness and depression between psychological strain and suicidal ideation. As expected, a positive correlation between psychological strain, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and depression was found. Additionally, results seem to indicate that psychological strain directly and positively influenced suicidal ideation, and that hopelessness and depression played a serial mediating role in the relationship between psychological strain and suicidal ideation. To conclude, the psychological strain theory is applicable for explaining suicidal ideation in athletes. In athletes, psychological strain is sequentially associated first with a sense of hopelessness and then depression, which is in turn related to suicidal ideation. The present study makes a significant contribution to the literature because we provide a new theoretical basis and new methods for preventing mental disorder and suicidality in athletes.

The Prevalence of Suicide Attempts and Independent Demographic and Clinical Correlates among Chronic Schizophrenia Patients in Agricultural Areas of China

This study investigated the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts (SA) and independent demographic and clinical correlates in stabilized schizophrenia inpatients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three psychiatric hospitals in Anhui province, an agricultural province located in east China. Psychopathology and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), respectively. A total of 315 stable schizophrenia inpatients were interviewed prior to discharge. The lifetime prevalence of SA was 22.2%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender (P < 0.001, OR = 3.4, 95%CI: 1.9-6.0), being married (P = 0.02, OR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.1-4.4) and having more severe depressive symptoms (P = 0.014, OR = 1.2, 95%CI: 1.01-1.3) were independently and significantly associated with higher risk of SA. Lifetime SA is common among hospitalized schizophrenia patients living in agricultural areas of China. For suicide prevention, regular assessments, appropriate interventions and clinical management should be integrated into a community-based psychiatric service model for this population.