Few Sex Differences in Hospitalized Suicide Attempters Aged 70 and Above

Control in relation to suicidal ideation and nonfatal suicidal behavior among older adults: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to evaluate and synthesize quantitative and qualitative findings on perceived control and value placed on control within the context of suicidal ideation or nonfatal suicidal behaviors in older adults.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search was completed in June 2022, October 2022, and November 2023. Included studies focused on perceived control or value placed on control and on suicidal ideation or nonfatal suicidal behavior. Studies were published in English and included older adults (≥ 60 years) in separate analyses. Studies focusing on self-efficacy were excluded.

RESULTS

Twelve studies with 10 unique samples of 1487 total participants from eight countries were assessed. Quantitative studies indicated that perceived control and value placed on control are significant correlates of suicidal ideation and nonfatal suicidal behaviors, while qualitative studies highlighted that individuals who survive suicide attempts often specify decreased perceived control as a reason for their attempts.

CONCLUSION

Results of this review indicate that perceived control and value placed on control are relevant variables when studying suicidal ideation and nonfatal suicidal behavior. This conclusion should be considered preliminary. Future research should examine heterogeneous samples, adopt gold standard assessments, and assess covariates in the associations.

Sex-specific outcomes and management in critically ill septic patients

BACKGROUND

Female and male critically ill septic patients might differ with regards to risk distribution, management, and outcomes. We aimed to compare male versus female septic patients in a large collective with regards to baseline risk distribution and outcomes.

METHODS

In total, 17,146 patients were included in this analysis, 8781 (51%) male and 8365 (49%) female patients. The primary endpoint was ICU-mortality. Baseline characteristics and data on organ support were documented. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to assess sex-specific differences.

RESULTS

Female patients had lower SOFA scores (5 ± 5 vs. 6 ± 6; p<0.001) and creatinine (1.20±1.35 vs. 1.40±1.54; p<0.001). In the total cohort, the ICU mortality was 10% and similar between female and male (10% vs. 10%; p = 0.34) patients. The ICU remained similar between sexes after adjustment in model-1 (aOR 1.05 95% CI 0.95-1.16; p = 0.34); model-2 (aOR 0.91 95% CI 0.79-1.05; p = 0.18) and model-3 (aOR 0.93 95% CI 0.80-1.07; p = 0.29). In sensitivity analyses, no major sex-specific differences in mortality could be detected.

CONCLUSION

In this study no clinically relevant sex-specific mortality differences could be detected in critically ill septic patients. Possible subtle gender differences could play a minor role in the acute situation due to the severity of the disease in septic patients.

Study of suicide burden of mortality in México 1990-2017

OBJECTIVE

The primary goal was to analyze the level and trend of the burden of suicide mortality in Mexico between 1990 and 2017 at a national and state scale.

METHODS

A secondary analysis based on the 2017 global burden of disease study. Mortality rates and years of life lost due to premature death (YLL) were reported here. A joinpoint regression analysis based on a log-linear model was used to analyze the trend of YLL.

RESULTS

The burden of disease due to suicides increased in Mexico, mainly in young males and females; though the raise that happened in the elderly is an additional challenge for the health system. The burden of disease varied substantially between states. The male mortality rates were higher than those of females during the whole period under study, nonetheless with a trend to reduce the difference between the sexes. A bimodal pattern of the burden of disease due to suicide in Mexico was also observed, with the higher rates located in those aged between 15 and 19 years, and an important increase in people older than 85 years of age.

CONCLUSION

These results show a worrisome picture, not only from a social, economic and health point of view but also from the needs of public policies. This situation represents a wake-up call about the need to implement timely identification actions, a comprehensive multisectoral prevention strategy and the detailed study of suicide associated risk factors.

Gender and survival of critically ill patients: results from the FROG-ICU study

Purpose

Few studies analyzed gender-related outcome differences of critically ill patients and found inconsistent results. This study aimed to test the independent association of gender and long-term survival of ICU patients.

Materials and methods

FROG-ICU was a prospective, observational, multi-center cohort designed to investigate the long-term mortality of critically ill adult patients. The primary endpoint of this study was 1-year mortality after ICU admission of women compared to men.

Results

The study included 2087 patients, 726 women and 1361 men. Women and men had similar baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, and disease severity. No significant difference in 1-year mortality was found between women and men (34.9% vs. 37.9%, P = 0.18). After multivariable adjustment, no difference in the hazard of death was observed [HR 0.99 (95% CI 0.77–1.28)]. Similar 1-year survival between women and men was found in a propensity score-matched patient cohort of 506 patients [HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.54–1.14)].

Conclusion

Women constituted one-third of the population of critically ill patients and were unexpectedly similar to men regarding demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, and disease severity and had similar risk of death at 1 year after ICU admission.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01367093; registered on June 6, 2011.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13613-019-0514-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse is associated with suicidal ideation in older adults

OBJECTIVES

Suicide in older adults is a major public health issue. Past research across the US adult population has linked prescription medication misuse with suicidal ideation. No work has evaluated associations between prescription opioid or benzodiazepine misuse and suicidal ideation in older adults, and this work aimed to address that gap.

METHODS/DESIGN

Data were from adults 50 years and older participating in the 2015 to 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 17 608). Design-based logistic regression evaluated links between any past-year prescription opioid or benzodiazepine use without misuse or prescription misuse and past-year suicidal ideation, after controlling for sociodemographic, physical health, mental health, and substance use correlates associated with suicidal ideation.

RESULTS

After controlling for all correlates, past-year use without misuse of prescription opioids or benzodiazepines was not associated with past-year suicidal ideation in older adults. In contrast, past-year opioid misuse (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.07-3.19) and benzodiazepine misuse (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.01-3.94) were significantly associated with past-year suicidal ideation, even after controlling for all covariates. While 2.2% of US older adults not engaged in either opioid or benzodiazepine misuse reported past-year suicidal ideation, 25.4% of those who misused both medication classes endorsed such suicidality (AOR = 4.73, 95% CI = 2.07-10.79).

CONCLUSIONS

Both past-year prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse are associated with past-year suicidal ideation in US older adults. Clinicians encountering older adult patients at-risk for or engaged in prescription medication misuse also should screen for suicidality.

Gender differentials and state variations in suicide deaths in India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016

Background

A systematic understanding of suicide mortality trends over time at the subnational level for India's 1·3 billion people, 18% of the global population, is not readily available. Thus, we aimed to report time trends of suicide deaths, and the heterogeneity in its distribution between the states of India from 1990 to 2016.

Methods

As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016, we estimated suicide death rates (SDRs) for both sexes in each state of India from 1990 to 2016. We used various data sources for estimating cause-specific mortality in India. For suicide mortality in India before 2000, estimates were based largely on GBD covariates. For each state, we calculated the ratio of the observed SDR to the rate expected in geographies globally with similar GBD Socio-demographic Index in 2016 (ie, the observed-to-expected ratio); and assessed the age distribution of suicide deaths, and the men-to-women ratio of SDR over time. Finally, we assessed the probability for India and the states of reaching the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of a one-third reduction in SDR from 2015 to 2030, using location-wise trends of the age-standardised SDR from 1990 to 2016. We calculated 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for the point estimates.

Findings

There were 230 314 (95% UI 194 058–250 260) suicide deaths in India in 2016. India's contribution to global suicide deaths increased from 25·3% in 1990 to 36·6% in 2016 among women, and from 18·7% to 24·3% among men. Age-standardised SDR among women in India reduced by 26·7% from 20·0 (95% UI 16·5–23·5) in 1990 to 14·7 (13·1–16·2) per 100 000 in 2016, but the age-standardised SDR among men was the same in 1990 (22·3 [95% UI 14·4–27·4] per 100 000) and 2016 (21·2 [14·6–23·6] per 100 000). SDR in women was 2·1 times higher in India than the global average in 2016, and the observed-to-expected ratio was 2·74, ranging from 0·45 to 4·54 between the states. SDR in men was 1·4 times higher in India than the global average in 2016, with an observed-to-expected ratio of 1·31, ranging from 0·40 to 2·42 between the states. There was a ten-fold variation between the states in the SDR for women and six-fold variation for men in 2016. The men-to-women ratio of SDR for India was 1·34 in 2016, ranging from 0·97 to 4·11 between the states. The highest age-specific SDRs among women in 2016 were for ages 15–29 years and 75 years or older, and among men for ages 75 years or older. Suicide was the leading cause of death in India in 2016 for those aged 15–39 years; 71·2% of the suicide deaths among women and 57·7% among men were in this age group. If the trends observed up to 2016 continue, the probability of India achieving the SDG SDR reduction target in 2030 is zero, and the majority of the states with 81·3% of India's population have less than 10% probability, three states have a probability of 10·3–15·0%, and six have a probability of 25·1–36·7%.

Interpretation

India's proportional contribution to global suicide deaths is high and increasing. SDR in India is higher than expected for its Socio-Demographic Index level, especially for women, with substantial variations in the magnitude and men-to-women ratio between the states. India must develop a suicide prevention strategy that takes into account these variations in order to address this major public health problem.

Funding

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.