Suicide Risk Screening in Healthcare Settings: Identifying Males and Females at Risk

Risk Factors for Suicide in Men

Suicide and the risk factors associated with it have been researched with increasing interest over the last 5 decades with respect to socioeconomic status, age, geographic location, and ethnic background. There has been less focus related to the risk factors specific to gender and how to incorporate clinical screening and interventions to reduce the mortality of suicide in males. With men accounting for a disproportionate number of deaths from suicide in the United States and worldwide, how gender could impact suicidal behavior and ideations remains a topic understudied and with great potential for significant improvement in clinical recognition and treatment.

Social connectedness and suicidal ideation: the roles of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness in the distress to suicidal ideation pathway

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a serious public health issue. Distress has been identified as a common risk factor, with research also suggesting that a lack of social connectedness is involved.

METHODS

This quantitative, cross-sectional study investigated the role of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness in the psychological distress/suicidal ideation pathway in a community sample of 480 Australian adults.

RESULTS

As expected, distress was found to be a strong predictor of suicidal ideation. Perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness both moderated and mediated the relationship between distress and suicidal ideation. Specifically, distress was more strongly linked to suicide ideation when burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness were also high. This moderating effect was stronger for thwarted belongingness than it was for burdensomeness. These variables also mediated the pathway, in that higher distress related to higher burdensomeness and thwarted belonging, which in turn related to higher suicide ideation. This mediating effect was stronger for burdensomeness than for thwarted belonging.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the findings confirm the importance of our social relatedness in suicide. Increasing belongingness and reducing the perception of being a burden on others may be an important intervention strategy for weakening the link between distress and suicide ideation.

The Multi-dimensional Assessment of Suicide Risk in Chronic illness-20 (MASC-20): Development and validation

BACKGROUND

We developed and tested the psychometric properties of the Multi-dimensional assessment of suicide risk in chronic illness-20 (MASC-20), which assess suicidal behavior (SB), and its associated distress in chronic physical illness (CPI).

METHODS

Items were developed by incorporating inputs from patient interviews, a review of existing instruments, and expert consultations. Pilot testing with 109 patients and field testing with 367 patients with renal, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases were conducted. We analyzed Time (T) 1 data to select items and T2 data to examine psychometric properties.

RESULTS

Forty preliminary items were selected through pilot testing; 20 were finalized from field testing. Optimal internal consistency (α = 0.94) and test-retest reliability (Intra class correlation coefficient = 0.92) of the MASC-20 supported reliability. Good fit of the four-factor model (physical distress, psychological distress, social distress, and SB) from exploratory structural equation modeling demonstrated factorial validity. Its correlations with MINI suicidality (r = 0.59) and the Schedule of Attitudes Toward Hastened Death-abbreviated scores (r = 0.62) indicated convergent validity. Higher MASC-20 scores in patients with clinical levels of depression and anxiety and low health status demonstrated known-group validity. The MASC-20 distress score predicted SB beyond known SB risk factors, supporting incremental validity. A cutoff score of 16 was optimal for identifying suicide risk. The area under the curve was within a moderately accurate range. The sum of sensitivity and specificity (1.66) indicated diagnostic utility.

LIMITATIONS

MASC-20's applicability to other patient populations and its sensitivity to change requires testing.

CONCLUSIONS

The MASC-20 appears to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing SB in CPI.

Rapid intensification of suicide risk preceding suicidal behavior among primary care patients

BACKGROUND

Approximately half of those who attempt suicide report experiencing suicidal ideation and suicidal planning in advance; others deny these experiences. Some researchers have hypothesized that rapid intensification is due to past suicidal ideation and/or behaviors that are "mentally shelved" but remain available for rapid access later.

METHOD

To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined (a) temporal sequencing of suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicidal behavior, and (b) speed of emergence of suicidal behavior in a prospective cohort study of 2744 primary care patients.

RESULTS

Of 52 patients reporting suicidal behavior during follow-up, 20 (38.5%) reported suicidal ideation and planning prior to their suicidal behavior, 23 (44.2%) reported suicidal ideation but not planning, and nine (17.3%) denied both suicidal ideation and planning. Over half (n = 30, 57.7%) reported the onset of suicidal ideation and/or planning on the same day as or after their suicidal behavior (i.e., rapid intensification). Rapid intensification was not associated with increased likelihood of reporting recent or past suicidal ideation, planning, or behaviors, suggesting rapid intensification does not depend on prior experience with suicidal ideation and/or behaviors.

CONCLUSION

Detecting primary care patients at risk for this form of suicidal behavior may be limited even with universal suicide risk screening.

Interdisciplinary social needs response team: A community case study in social needs targeted care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

This case study illustrates the role and value of a social needs response team during times of crisis and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in two simultaneous crises-the infectious disease crisis and the socioeconomic crisis. Unemployment and lost wages, housing and food insecurity, and increased childcare needs are just a few examples of the socioeconomic needs that skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) formed an interdisciplinary team of physicians, social workers, nurse practitioners and students of these professions to reimagine social needs screening in a way that could reach people during the pandemic and provide sustainable support for individual's evolving social needs. The Social Needs Response Team (SNRT) at UPHS utilized various secure platforms to keep members of the team connected with each other and their patients. Orientations for participating students included training on how to employ principles of crisis intervention theory, empathetic inquiry, and patient-led and family-centered care to best uncover and serve the needs of their patients. Alongside the illustrative case study, this piece details guiding principles and concepts that are essential to integrating social needs targeted care.

Suicide and Self-Harm Risk Assessment: A Systematic Review of Prospective Research

OBJECTIVE

Suicide and self-harm are widespread yet underreported. Risk assessment is key to effective self-harm and suicide prevention and management. There is contradicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of risk assessment tools in predicting self-harm and suicide risk. This systematic review examines the effect of risk assessment strategies on predicting suicide and self-harm outcomes among adult healthcare service users.

METHOD

Electronic and gray literature databases were searched for prospective research. Studies were screened and selected by independent reviewers. Quality and level of evidence assessments were conducted. Due to study heterogeneity, we present a narrative synthesis under three categories: (1) suicide- and self-harm-related outcomes; (2) clinician assessment of suicide and self-harm risk; and (3) healthcare utilization due to self-harm or suicide.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies were included in this review. The SAD PERSONS Scale was the most used tool. It outperformed the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation in predicting hospital admissions and stay following suicide and self-harm, yet it failed to predict repeat suicide and self-harm and was not recommended for routine use. There were mixed findings relating to clinician risk assessment, with some studies recommending clinician assessment over structured tools, whilst others found that clinician assessment failed to predict future attempts and deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

There is insufficient evidence to support the use of any one tool, inclusive of clinician assessment of risk, for self-harm and suicidality. The discourse around risk assessment needs to move toward a broader discussion on the safety of patients who are at risk for self-harm and/or suicide.HIGHLIGHTSThere is insufficient evidence to support using standalone risk assessment tools.There are mixed findings relating to clinician assessment of risk.Structured professional judgment is widely accepted for risk assessment.

Low Level of Agreement Between Self-Report and Clinical Assessment of Passive Suicidal Ideation

OBJECTIVE

Discrepancies between patient reports during clinical evaluations and self-reported suicide ideation are of vital importance. We study the agreement in passive suicidal ideation between reports made by clinicians and patients' self-reports.

METHOD

Wish of death in 648 outpatients was assessed by attending clinicians. Within 24 h after clinical evaluation, patients completed a self-report questionnaire in which they were asked whether they had no desire to live. We used cluster analysis to determine the clinical profile of a population of patients according to the concordance between reports made by clinicians and self-reported information.

RESULTS

A low level of agreement (kappa = 0.072) was found between clinicians and patients, as 56.4% (n = 366) of clinician reports classified as containing no death-related ideas although on self-report the patient did state that they had no desire to live. In this group containing discrepancies between the two reports, two clusters were found to have shared characteristics: female sex, middle age, cohabitation, active employment, no history of suicidal behavior, and diagnosis of neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders. In a third, more severe cluster, patients self-reported sleep disturbances, less appetite, poor treatment adherence, and aggressiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

We found low agreement between self-reports and clinician assessments regarding the death wish. Self-reporting may be useful in assessing suicide risk. HIGHLIGHTSLow agreement was found between self-reports and clinician assessments regarding passive suicidal ideation.Most patients in whom the clinician underestimated the risk of suicide were women.Our results suggest that clinicians require adequate documentation of suicidal risk assessment to identify the high-risk population.

Hopelessness, Interpersonal, and Emotion Dysregulation Perspectives on Suicidal Ideation: Tests in a Clinical Sample

OBJECTIVE

The present study directly compared three perspectives of suicidality: Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), Hopelessness Theory, and a perspective emphasizing emotion dysregulation.

METHOD

219 adults seeking outpatient psychological services completed questionnaires during intake between November 2015 and February 2019. Patients were included if they completed surveys related to thwarted belongingness (TB), perceived burdensomeness (PB), hopelessness, depressive symptoms, negative affect, and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) symptoms. Analyses tested the ability of TB, PB, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and emotion dysregulation to relate to total scores on Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. We employed Pearson's correlations and linear regressions to investigate these relations.

RESULTS

Constructs related to emotion dysregulation-negative affect (r = 0.161, p < .05) and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms (r = 0.284, p < .01)-were significantly correlated with suicidal ideation, as were those relevant to Hopelessness Theory-depressive symptoms (r = 0.46, p < .01) and hopelessness (r = 0.45, p < .01)- and IPTS-TB (r = 0.36, p < .01) and PB (r = 0.43, p < .01). Notably the combinations of constructs as proposed by theories were significantly associated with suicidal ideation, but did not improve upon single constructs. This indicated that theoretically relevant constructs alone were strongly associated with suicidal ideation, but were not bested by interactions.

CONCLUSIONS

This project compared constructs relevant to three theories of suicidality among a sample of treatment seeking outpatients. Findings indicated that suicidal ideation assessment was similarly informed by Hopelessness Theory and IPTS, and to a lesser degree emotion dysregulation. The cross sectional nature of the data and the reliance upon self-report measures limit the inferences that can be made.

Assessing Suicide Risk in a Pediatric Outpatient Behavioral Health System: A Quality Improvement Report

Introduction

Standardized suicide risk assessment improves the detection of individuals at risk of suicide. We conducted a quality improvement initiative in a system of outpatient behavioral health practices affiliated with a free-standing children's hospital to implement standardized suicide risk assessment for new patients.

Methods

Clinicians received education in suicide risk assessment and were trained to use an evidence-based suicide risk assessment tool, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). We standardized workflow processes and integrated the C-SSRS in the electronic health record with a feature to communicate instances of elevated risk across care teams through a problem list. We analyzed C-SSRS responses and adherence to standardized processes and compared the percentage of patients with a suicide-related item on the problem list before and after implementation. We assessed clinician knowledge through a survey. All patients with identified suicide risk received treatment to reduce their risk of suicide in the context of usual care.

Results

For 3,972 new patient visits occurring postimplementation (November 2016-December 2018), the average monthly adherence to the standardized process was 97.7%. The mean monthly incidence of nonspecific active suicidal thoughts was 16%, aborted suicide attempts were 2%, and actual suicide attempts were 3%. The mean monthly incidence of a suicide-related item documented on the problem list was 5.66% in the postimplementation period compared with 1.47% in the 1-year preimplementation. Clinicians demonstrated statistically significant increases in knowledge about suicide risk factors and assessment.

Conclusions

Standardization of suicide risk assessment processes improved detection and documentation of suicide risk in a pediatric outpatient behavioral health setting.

Health care utilisation two years prior to suicide in Sweden: a retrospective explorative study based on medical records

OBJECTIVE

Previous literature has suggested that identifying putative differences in health care seeking patterns before death by suicide depending on age and gender may facilitate more targeted suicide preventive approaches. The aim of this study is to map health care utilisation among individuals in the two years prior to suicide in Sweden in 2015 and to examine possible age and gender differences.

METHODS

Design: A retrospective explorative study with a medical record review covering the two years preceding suicide.

SETTING

All health care units located in 20 of Sweden's 21 regions.

PARTICIPANTS

All individuals residing in participating regions who died by suicide during 2015 (n = 949).

RESULTS

Almost 74% were in contact with a health care provider during the 3 months prior to suicide, and 60% within 4 weeks. Overall health care utilisation during the last month of life did not differ between age groups. However, a higher proportion of younger individuals (< 65 years) were in contact with psychiatric services, and a higher proportion of older individuals (≥ 65 years) were in contact with primary and specialised somatic health care. The proportion of women with any type of health care contact during the observation period was larger than the corresponding proportion of men, although no gender difference was found among primary and specialised somatic health care users within four weeks and three months respectively prior to suicide.

CONCLUSION

Care utilisation before suicide varied by gender and age. Female suicide decedents seem to utilise health care to a larger extent than male decedents in the two years preceding death, except for the non-psychiatric services in closer proximity to death. Older adults seem to predominantly use non-psychiatric services, while younger individuals seek psychiatric services to a larger extent.

Integration of Face-to-Face Screening With Real-time Machine Learning to Predict Risk of Suicide Among Adults

IMPORTANCE

Understanding the differences and potential synergies between traditional clinician assessment and automated machine learning might enable more accurate and useful suicide risk detection.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the respective and combined abilities of a real-time machine learning model and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to predict suicide attempt (SA) and suicidal ideation (SI).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included encounters with adult patients (aged ≥18 years) at a major academic medical center. The C-SSRS was administered during routine care, and a Vanderbilt Suicide Attempt and Ideation Likelihood (VSAIL) prediction was generated in the electronic health record. Encounters took place in the inpatient, ambulatory surgical, and emergency department settings. Data were collected from June 2019 to September 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were the incidence of SA and SI, encoded as International Classification of Diseases codes, occurring within various time periods after an index visit. We evaluated the retrospective validity of the C-SSRS, VSAIL, and ensemble models combining both. Discrimination metrics included area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC), area under the precision-recall curve (AUPR), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV).

RESULTS

The cohort included 120 398 unique index visits for 83 394 patients (mean [SD] age, 51.2 [20.6] years; 38 107 [46%] men; 45 273 [54%] women; 13 644 [16%] Black; 63 869 [77%] White). Within 30 days of an index visit, the combined models had higher AUROC (SA: 0.874-0.887; SI: 0.869-0.879) than both the VSAIL (SA: 0.729; SI: 0.773) and C-SSRS (SA: 0.823; SI: 0.777) models. In the highest risk-decile, ensemble methods had PPV of 1.3% to 1.4% for SA and 8.3% to 8.7% for SI and sensitivity of 77.6% to 79.5% for SA and 67.4% to 70.1% for SI, outperforming VSAIL (PPV for SA: 0.4%; PPV for SI: 3.9%; sensitivity for SA: 28.8%; sensitivity for SI: 35.1%) and C-SSRS (PPV for SA: 0.5%; PPV for SI: 3.5%; sensitivity for SA: 76.6%; sensitivity for SI: 68.8%).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this study, suicide risk prediction was optimal when leveraging both in-person screening (for acute measures of risk in patient-reported suicidality) and historical EHR data (for underlying clinical factors that can quantify a patient's passive risk level). To improve suicide risk classification, prediction systems could combine pretrained machine learning with structured clinician assessment without needing to retrain the original model.

Assessment of Latent Subgroups With Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior Among Gun Owners and Non-Gun Owners in the US

IMPORTANCE

Firearm ownership is associated with increased risk for suicide.

OBJECTIVE

To examine patterns of associations among suicidal thoughts and behaviors among gun owners and non-gun owners in the US.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this survey study, cross-sectional online survey data were collected from March to April 2020 from US adults recruited via Qualtrics Panels. Quota sampling was used to approximate US census demographics.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcomes were past-year passive suicidal ideation, active suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, suicidal behaviors, and nonsuicidal self-injury as measured by items from the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Revised (SITBI-R). Simple latent class analysis (LCA) was used to assign participants to separate classes based on posterior probabilities, and multigroup LCA was used to assess whether the same construct was measured in specified groups.

RESULTS

Of 65 079 adults invited to participate, 10 625 (16.3%) completed the survey; 9153 responded "yes" or "no" to the firearm ownership item and were included in the analysis. Of these 9153 respondents (4695 [51.3%] male; mean [SD] age, 46.7 [16.8] years), 2773 (30.3%) reported owning a gun and 6380 (69.7%) reported not owning a gun. Compared with non-gun owners, gun owners were more likely to be male (1779 [64.2%] vs 2916 [45.7%]; χ21, 263.3; P < .001) and White (2090 [75.4%] vs 3945 [61.8%]; χ25, 232.9; P < .001) and to have served in the military (772 [27.8%] vs 609 [9.5%]; χ21, 571.4; P < .001). Five distinct patterns of SITBI-R item endorsement were extracted using simple LCA. Multigroup LCA indicated that the probability of SITBI-R item endorsement differed between gun owners and non-gun owners across subgroups. Among gun owners, the probability of past-month nonfatal suicide attempts was highest in class 4 (ranging from 16.8% for reaching out for help to 27.2% for starting, then changing one's mind). Gun owners in class 4 were characterized by high probabilities of endorsing thoughts about specific ways or methods to attempt suicide (100%) and preparatory behavior (100%). Among non-gun owners, the probability of nonfatal suicide attempts was highest in class 5 (ranging from 14.9% for reaching out for help to 29.7% for starting, then changing one's mind). Non-gun owners in class 5 were characterized by high probabilities of endorsing passive suicidal ideation (84.0%-100%), active suicidal ideation (86.7%-95.0%), and thoughts about specific ways or methods to attempt suicide (97.4%) and a specific place (92.1%) to attempt suicide.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this study, in subgroups with lower probabilities of suicide attempt, gun owners and non-gun owners showed similar patterns of suicide risk item endorsement, but when the probability of a suicide attempt increased, gun owners were less likely than non-gun owners to endorse passive and active suicidal ideation. These findings suggest that assessing a broader range of suicide risk indicators may improve risk detection.

Psychiatric Distress and Suicidal Tendencies in Adult Cancer Survivors: Verifying the Validity of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 for Identifying Suicidal Ideation in the Hospitalized Population of Mainland China

The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) is widely used to assess psychiatric distress but has not been verified in the Chinese population. From March to April 2019, 293 hospitalized cancer patients, aged 20-87, completed the cross-sectional survey with demographics questionnaire, BSI-18, and PHQ-9. We analyzed the single suicide-related item of PHQ-9 with the full score clinical outpoint for BSI-18 and PHQ-9 using SPSS 22.0 and R 2.15, including Pearson's χ² test and ROC curve analyses. A Pearson's χ² test was carried out to compare the three different methods with the gold screening criteria. The p-value was correspondingly to .006, .066, .838. When the PHQ-9 ≥ 10 criteria for the BSI-18, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that AUC values were 0.839, optimal cut-off points for both BSI-18 ≥ 50, the sensitivity of 85.8%, and 62.5%, respectively. The BSI-18 is suitable for a screening tool for psychological distress and could also be used in clinical settings for preliminary screening of hospitalized cancer patients.

Risk Assessment of Self-Injurious Behavior and Suicide Presentation in the Emergency Department: An Integrative Review

INTRODUCTION

Globally, there is a lack of clarity regarding the best practice to distinguish patients at the highest risk of suicide. This review explores the use of risk assessment tools in emergency departments to identify patients at high risk of repeat self-harm, suicide attempts, or death by suicide.

METHODS

The review question ("Does the use of risk assessment tools in emergency departments identify patients at high risk of repeat self-harm, suicide attempts, or death by suicide?") focused on exposure and outcome. Studies of any design were included. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were used. Study characteristics and concepts were extracted, compared, and verified. An integrative approach was used for reporting through narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Nine studies were identified for inclusion. Two risk assessment tools were found to have good predictive ability for suicide ideation and self-harm. Three had modest prediction of patient disposition, but in one study, the clinical impression of nurses had higher predictive ability. One tool showed modest predictive ability for patients requiring admission.

DISCUSSION

This review found no strong evidence to indicate that any particular risk tool has a superior predictive ability to identify repeat self-harm, suicide attempts, or death by suicide. Best practice lacks clarity to determine patients at highest risk of suicide, but the use of risk assessment tools has been recommended. Nevertheless, such tools should not be used in isolation from clinical judgment and experience to evaluate patients at risk. Education and training to augment risk assessment within the emergency department are recommended.

Identifying Mental Disorders in Primary Care: Diagnostic Accuracy of the Connected Mind Fast Check (CMFC) Electronic Screen

Primary care physicians (PCPs) often daily address diagnoses and treatment of mental disorders in their practices. The current study examined the Connected Mind Fast Check (CMFC), a two-tiered electronic screen, assessing six common mental disorders. The eight-item Initial Screen assesses possible symptoms, whereas SAM modules establish provisional diagnoses and areas of clinical concern. With 234 patients from five independent PCP offices, diagnostic accuracy was tested with the SCID-5-RV as the external criterion. Concerningly, many patients were unaware of their current mental disorders and comorbidities. The CMFC Initial Screen evidenced strong sensitivity, identifying with very few missing diagnoses. About two-thirds of provisional SAM diagnoses were confirmed with high specificities. Bipolar Disorder posed the most challenges at both tiers. Importantly, the suicide screen identified all patients with suicide plans and three-fourths with ideation. In general, the CMFC effectively identified provisional diagnoses, impairment, and potential suicidality.

Healthcare staff's views on responding to suicide and self-harm: Part I

PURPOSE

To explore healthcare staff's knowledge and awareness of, and responses to, suicide and self-harm.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A qualitative design was adopted, and data were collected using a "World Café" approach (n = 143 participants), in addition to written submissions (n = 10). Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

There was variation relating to awareness of and responses to suicide and self-harm. Participants highlighted the need for further staff education and training, and a review of standardized assessment tools and referral processes.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Tailored training and education resources are required for healthcare staff. Clear protocols for assessing, treating, and referring people deemed at risk of suicide and self-harm are needed.

Pediatric Suicide Screening: A Review of the Evidence

BACKGROUND

Suicide rates are increasing for youths and suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-24 year olds. This evidence-based practice project critically reviews literature regarding the effectiveness of pediatric suicide screening.

METHODS

A literature search was guided by the following question: In pediatric patients, does suicide screening at every health encounter compared to an annual screen increase clinician identification of patients at-risk. Ten articles met inclusion criteria and were critically appraised and synthesized.

FINDINGS

Youths had high rates of suicidal ideation (SI), anxiety, and depression. Pediatric universal suicide screening identified SI in youths with both psychiatric and non-psychiatric medical complaints. Patients with chronic health conditions reported higher rates of mental health symptoms and SI. A specific suicide screening instrument should be used as general mental health screens likely miss youths at-risk for SI. The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool is an easy to use and highly sensitive instrument for detecting suicide risk in youths.

DISCUSSION

Many youths that screen positive for SI do not have known mental health concerns and would have been missed if not asked directly. Universal screening for SI identifies at-risk youth and allows nurses and other providers to intervene. The need for universal screening across pediatric health care settings using brief, validated screening tools is paramount.

APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

Nurses working in pediatric settings should champion universal screening for SI. Unit-based quality improvement projects using the Plan-Do-Study-Act change cycle provides a model for instituting universal screening for SI.

Antipsychotics as a method of suicide: population based follow-up study of suicide in Northern Finland

AIM

This study examined the trend and role of antipsychotics as a method of self-poisoning suicide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The basic data covered 483 poisoning suicides, occurring between the years 1988 and 2011, in Northern Finland, of which 178 (115 men, 63 women) were completed using antipsychotics.

RESULTS

During the 23-year follow-up period, second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) overtook first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) as a suicide method. Female victims, compared to males, had more commonly used quetiapine (17.5% vs. 6.1%, p = .016), while suicides using promazine were more common in males compared to females (36.5% vs. 22.2%, p = .049). People with unipolar depression had more frequently used SGAs (40.0%) or a combination of SGAs and FGAs (12.5%) than FGAs (19.2%) (p = .019) in their suicides.

CONCLUSION

The use of SGAs in suicides is becoming increasingly common, which calls for further studies.

The Relationships Between Risk-Taking, Depression, and Alcohol Use in the Experience of Suicidal Ideation Among Adults in the General Population

Risk-taking is associated with suicide among depressed adolescents. In the United States, alcohol is among the most used substances resulting in need for treatment. While alcohol use relates to greater depression and suicidality, less is known about these relationships with risk-taking tendencies, particularly among adult populations. The current study examined suicidal ideation, alcohol use, depression, and risk-taking tendencies among adults 18-65 years old who participated in the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the specific aims in Mplus8. A total of 1,740 (21.4%) participants endorsed suicidal ideation. The model demonstrated good fit and findings indicate increases in alcohol abuse or dependence (b = 0.094, SE = 0.01, p < .001), depression (b = 0.036, SE = 0.01, p < .001), and risk-taking (b = 0.044, SE = 0.01, p < .001) all independently related to increased odds of ideation. Increases in alcohol abuse or dependence (b = 0.210, SE = 0.02, p < .001) and depression (b = 0.026, SE = 0.01, p < .05) also related to elevated risk-taking. Based on the joint significance test, risk-taking tendencies served as a partial mediator, functioning as a mechanism in the relationships between alcohol use, depression, and ideation. Risk-taking thus serves as an important treatment target in the prevention of suicide. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Predicting suicidal behavior and self-harm after general hospitalization of adults with serious mental illness

Individuals with psychiatric disorders are vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes following physical illness. This longitudinal cohort study defined risk profiles for readmission for suicidal behavior and self-harm after general hospitalization of adults with serious mental illness. Structured electronic health record data were analyzed from 15,644 general non-psychiatric index hospitalizations of individuals with depression, bipolar, and psychotic disorders admitted to an urban health system in the southwestern United States between 2006 and 2017. Using data from one-year prior to and including index hospitalization, supervised machine learning was implemented to predict risk of readmission for suicide attempt and self-harm in the following year. The Classification and Regression Tree algorithm produced a classification prediction with an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.97). Incidence of suicide-related behavior was highest after general non-psychiatric hospitalizations of individuals with prior suicide attempt or self-harm (18%; 69 cases/389 hospitalizations) and lowest after hospitalizations associated with very high medical morbidity burden (0 cases/3090 hospitalizations). Predictor combinations, rather than single risk factors, explained the majority of risk, including concomitant alcohol use disorder with moderate medical morbidity, and age ≤55-years-old with low medical morbidity. Findings suggest that applying an efficient and highly interpretable machine learning algorithm to electronic health record data may inform general hospital clinical decision support, resource allocation, and preventative interventions for medically ill adults with serious mental illness.

Saving Lives: Recognizing and Intervening with Youth at Risk for Suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth in the United States. Fortunately, substantial advances have been achieved in identifying and intervening with youth at risk. In this review, we first focus on advances in proactive suicide risk screening and psychoeducation aimed at improving the recognition of suicide risk. These strategies have the potential to improve our ability to recognize and triage youth at risk who may otherwise be missed. We then review recent research on interventions for youth at risk. We consider a broad range of psychotherapeutic interventions, including crisis interventions in emergency care settings. Though empirical support remains limited for interventions targeting suicide risk in youth, effective and promising approaches continue to be identified. We highlight evidence-based screening and intervention approaches as well as challenges in these areas and recommendations for further investigation.

Machine Learning to Differentiate Risk of Suicide Attempt and Self-harm After General Medical Hospitalization of Women With Mental Illness

BACKGROUND

Suicide prevention is a public health priority, but risk factors for suicide after medical hospitalization remain understudied. This problem is critical for women, for whom suicide rates in the United States are disproportionately increasing.

OBJECTIVE

To differentiate the risk of suicide attempt and self-harm following general medical hospitalization among women with depression, bipolar disorder, and chronic psychosis.

METHODS

We developed a machine learning algorithm that identified risk factors of suicide attempt and self-harm after general hospitalization using electronic health record data from 1628 women in the University of California Los Angeles Integrated Clinical and Research Data Repository. To assess replicability, we applied the algorithm to a larger sample of 140,848 women in the New York City Clinical Data Research Network.

RESULTS

The classification tree algorithm identified risk groups in University of California Los Angeles Integrated Clinical and Research Data Repository (area under the curve 0.73, sensitivity 73.4, specificity 84.1, accuracy 0.84), and predictor combinations characterizing key risk groups were replicated in New York City Clinical Data Research Network (area under the curve 0.71, sensitivity 83.3, specificity 82.2, and accuracy 0.84). Predictors included medical comorbidity, history of pregnancy-related mental illness, age, and history of suicide-related behavior. Women with antecedent medical illness and history of pregnancy-related mental illness were at high risk (6.9%-17.2% readmitted for suicide-related behavior), as were women below 55 years old without antecedent medical illness (4.0%-7.5% readmitted).

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention of suicide attempt and self-harm among women following acute medical illness may be improved by screening for sex-specific predictors including perinatal mental health history.

CONTENT VALIDATION FOR THE BRAZILIAN VERSION OF THE NURSES GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF SUICIDE RISK INDEX

ABSTRACT Objective: to perform the content validation of the Nurses Global Assessment of Suicide Risk index for the Brazilian population served in primary care. Method: a methodological study of cultural adaptation and content evaluation of the NGASR index, original scale from the United Kingdom, carried out through the stages: evaluation of verbal comprehension by an experts committee (semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and cultural equivalence and content validity), back-translation and verification of clarity by means of a pre-test. The experts committee was composed of nine judges and the pre-test with 30 users of primary care services and 19 nurses. The Content Validation Index was calculated. Results: the final validated version is composed of 15 items that obtained a Content Validation Index greater than 0.78 by the experts committee and in the application of the pre-test with users and nurses. Conclusion: the instrument favors the performance of professional nurses in primary health care in the prevention of suicidal behavior by facilitating risk assessment and the adoption of relevant actions.

Impact of Substance Use Disorder on Quality of Inpatient Mental Health Services for People With Anxiety and Depression

Objective: Substance use disorders are commonly comorbid with anxiety and depressive disorders and are associated with poor treatment outcomes. The mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear-one possibility is that patients with anxiety/depressive disorders and substance use disorders receive poorer treatment. Concerns have been raised about the quality of inpatient care received by patients with substance use disorders. The purspose of this research was to examine the quality of care received by inpatients with an anxiety or depressive disorder, comparing subgroups with or without a comorbid substance use disorder. Methods: This was a retrospective case-note review of 3,795 patients admitted to inpatient psychiatric wards in England. Data were gathered on all acute admissions with anxiety/depressive illness over a 6-month period, for a number of measures of quality of care derived from national standards. Association of coexisting substance use disorders with a variety of quality of care outcomes (relating to assessment, care planning, medication management, psychological therapies, discharge, crisis planning, and follow-up) was investigated using multivariable regression analyses. Results: In all, 543 (14.3%) patients in the study had a secondary diagnosis of a substance use disorder. Patients with substance use disorders were less likely to have had care plans that were developed jointly (i.e., with input from both patient and clinician; odds ratio [OR] = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.55, 0.93], p = .034) and less likely to have had their medication reviewed either during the admission (OR = 0.83, 95% CI [0.69, 0.94], p = .030) or at follow-up after discharge (OR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.39, 0.86], p = .007). Carers of patients with substance use disorders were less likely to have been provided with information about available support services (OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.57, 0.98], p = .047). Patients with substance use disorders were less likely to have received adequate (at least 24 hours) notice in advance of their discharge (OR = 0.72, 95% CI [0.54, 0.96], p = .033), as were their carers (OR = 0.63, 95% CI [0.41, 0.85], p = .007). They were less likely to have a crisis plan in place at the point of discharge (OR = 0.85, 95% CI [0.74, 0.98], p = .044). There was also strong evidence that patients with substance use disorders were less likely to have been referred for psychological therapy (OR = 0.69, 95% CI [0.55, 0.87], p = .002). Conclusions: We found evidence of poorer quality of care for inpatients with anxiety and depressive disorders with comorbid substance use disorders, highlighting the need for more to be done to support these patients. Discrepancies in care quality may be contributed to the poor treatment outcomes experienced by patients with substance use disorders, and strategies to reduce this inequality are necessary to improve the well-being of this substantial patient group.

Staff awareness of suicide and self-harm risk in healthcare settings: A mixed-methods systematic review

BACKGROUND

Suicide risk screening in healthcare settings plays a significant role in suicide prevention. Healthcare staff who are poorly informed about self-harm and suicide risk are less likely to identify and subsequently screen at-risk individuals. This mixed-method systematic review aimed to appraise and synthesise evidence from studies that explored and promoted healthcare staff's knowledge and awareness of suicide and self-harm risk in healthcare settings.

METHODS

Electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycARTICLES, Psychology and behavioural Science Collection, ERIC, and SocINDEX), the Cochrane Library, and various grey literature databases were searched for relevant studies. The level of evidence and methodological quality of the included studies were assessed.

RESULTS

Eighteen empirical studies were included. Levels of knowledge about suicide and self-harm risk varied significantly across the reviewed studies. Face-to-face group training and educational programmes, digital or online educational programmes, and an educational poster campaign were amongst the strategies used to promote awareness of suicide and self-harm risk, with the majority marginally succeeding in doing so.

LIMITATIONS

The reviewed studies were heterogeneous in terms of design, interventions, and outcome measures which made it difficult to make comparisons. The overall level of scientific evidence was classified as being relatively low. The lack of blinding and lack of a control group were amongst the limitations for experimental studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term, routine face-to-face group training programmes should be established to educate healthcare staff about suicide risk across all professions and in specific patient groups.

Suicide assessment and treatment in pediatric primary care settings

TOPIC

This article will briefly review screening for depression and suicidal ideation in primary care and school-based clinics, with a focus on in-depth screening for imminent suicide risk, developing a safety plan, and incorporating handoffs to urgent and emergency mental health care personnel. The article will cover current definitions of levels of suicidal risk and clinic-based protocols for a team approach to adolescents in crisis.

PURPOSE

To provide primary care and behavioral health nurses with evidence-based suicide risk screening and assessment tools and best practices for using them in patient-centered encounters with adolescents with suicidal thinking or behavior.

SOURCES USED

Journal articles, books, and reports.

CONCLUSION

Past studies have shown that many individuals who died by suicide had seen a primary care provider in 30 days before their deaths. Nurses in primary care settings should develop clinic-based protocols for screening all adolescents for suicide risk, developing safety plans, and providing suicidal youth and families with monitoring, appropriate referrals, follow-up, and support.

Successful Suicide Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Youth, Parent, Researcher, and Clinician Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to include youth, parents, researchers, and clinicians in the identification of feasible and acceptable strategies for teen suicide screening in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Concept mapping methodology was used to elicit stakeholder responses. Regarding the most important result of suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, suicide prevention and education for parents, friends, and community members was rated easiest to implement, while short- and long-term follow-up and treatment was rated most important. In terms of successful suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, provision of resources and information was rated most feasible, and a safe, friendly, private screening environment was rated most important. The concept maps can be used to align suicide risk screening with the priorities and recommendations of pediatric ED stakeholders.

Suicide and suicide risk

Although recent years have seen large decreases in the overall global rate of suicide fatalities, this trend is not reflected everywhere. Suicide and suicidal behaviour continue to present key challenges for public policy and health services, with increasing suicide deaths in some countries such as the USA. The development of suicide risk is complex, involving contributions from biological (including genetics), psychological (such as certain personality traits), clinical (such as comorbid psychiatric illness), social and environmental factors. The involvement of multiple risk factors in conveying risk of suicide means that determining an individual's risk of suicide is challenging. Improving risk assessment, for example, by using computer testing and genetic screening, is an area of ongoing research. Prevention is key to reduce the number of suicide deaths and prevention efforts include universal, selective and indicated interventions, although these interventions are often delivered in combination. These interventions, combined with psychological (such as cognitive behavioural therapy, caring contacts and safety planning) and pharmacological treatments (for example, clozapine and ketamine) along with coordinated social and public health initiatives, should continue to improve the management of individuals who are suicidal and decrease suicide-associated morbidity.

Mental Health Trends in Military Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE

Childhood psychiatric disorders affect current functioning and predispose individuals to more severe adult mental health problems. Provider survey research has suggested that children's mental health problems are increasing; observed changes may be due to increased illness or improved access to care. The authors sought to quantify trends in the prevalence of diagnosed and treated mental health conditions, outpatient treatment, and psychiatric medication prescriptions in a large population of children who were continuously insured.

METHODS

The authors performed a retrospective trend study of diagnosed mental health conditions, treatment, and psychiatric medication prescriptions from 2003 to 2015 in children ages 2-18 who were military dependents (N=1,798,530). Poisson regression analyses and Cochran-Armitage tests determined trends in the prevalence of treated psychiatric diagnoses overall and by subcategory, rates of outpatient mental health visits, and psychiatric medication use overall and by specific class.

RESULTS

From 2003 to 2015, the prevalence of children with diagnosed mental health conditions increased from 9.2% to 15.2% (rate ratio=1.04, 95% confidence interval=1.04-1.05, p<0.001). Identified suicidal ideation prevalence increased by 20% a year. Mental health care visits increased by 2% a year, and psychiatric medication prescriptions increased by 3% a year between 2003 and 2015, with larger increases seen among older children. Prescriptions for children with identified mental health conditions did not increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnosed mental health conditions, pharmaceutical treatment, and outpatient visits all increased across a diverse U.S. pediatric population from 2003 to 2015. Results suggest that use of psychiatric medications kept pace with the increased number of diagnoses and that older children are most affected.

Master Clinician Review: Saving Holden Caulfield: Suicide Prevention in Children and Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

The rate of adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior has risen dramatically in the past decade. The title of this article comes from the classic coming-of-age novel by J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye. Its protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a precocious adolescent who, in the face of his inability to cope with his own self-destructives urges, imagines himself saving "little kids playing some game in this big field of rye." He is standing on the edge of a cliff trying to catch "thousands of little kids" before they fall to their demise. This vignette from The Catcher in the Rye provides a useful metaphor for the relationship between mental health professionals and youth at risk for suicide, and suggests more efficient and effective alternative interventions to prevent youth suicide compared to standing by a cliff.

METHOD

These four alternative approaches are described, namely: (1) leading youth away from the cliff (ie, prevention); (2) going to where youth are (ie, improving access to care); (3) working with others to change the rules in the field (ie, changing the way care is delivered); and (4) putting a fence around the cliff (ie, restriction of access to lethal agents). The evidence to support the utility and cost-effectiveness of each of these approaches is reviewed.

CONCLUSION

There are extant, empirically supported, cost-effective approaches to the prevention and management of adolescent suicidal behavior that, if implemented widely, are likely to significantly reverse the decade-long rise in adolescent suicide.