A Typology of Male Prisoners Making Near-Lethal Suicide Attempts

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 335-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Rivlin ◽  
Robert Ferris ◽  
Lisa Marzano ◽  
Seena Fazel ◽  
Keith Hawton

Background: Prisoners are at high risk of suicide. Aims: This study aimed to develop a typology of prison suicide. Method: We interviewed 60 male prisoners who made near-lethal suicide attempts in prison to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding psychiatric, psychological, social, and criminological factors. We analyzed this information to develop a typology to classify suicidal prisoners and validated it by having a prison psychiatrist independently rate each interview transcript. Results: We developed a typology of five subgroups: attempts that (1) were due to a prisoner being unable to cope in prison, (2) were motivated by psychotic symptoms, (3) had instrumental motives, (4) were ”unexpected” by the prisoners themselves, and (5) were associated with withdrawal from drugs. The interrater reliability as measured by Cohen’s was good to excellent at 0.81 (p < .001), 95% CI (0.69, 0.93). Conclusion: With further validation in other samples, this typology may assist suicide prevention initiatives in prisons as well as other forensic institutions by informing the assessment and formulation of suicide risk.

Author(s):  
Guendalina Gentile ◽  
Stefano Tambuzzi ◽  
Raffaella Calati ◽  
Riccardo Zoja

Suicide in cancer patients has always been a subject of clinical studies, but the contribution of forensic pathology to this phenomenon is poorly reported. With the aim of at least partially filling this gap in information, at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Milan, Italy, we assessed all suicides that occurred in cancer patients. A descriptive and retrospective analysis was carried out by examining the database of the Institute and autopsy reports. We included 288 suicide cases with proven cancer diseases. For each suicide, sex, age, country of origin, body area affected by cancer, further pathological history, medications, previous suicide attempts and suicidal communications, as well as the place where the suicide occurred, were assessed. Furthermore, from a forensic point of view, we considered the chosen suicide method and any involved means. The majority of cases were male older adults affected by lung, colon and prostate cancer. Violent suicide methods were prevalent, and the most represented suicide method was falling from height regardless of the body area affected by cancer. Such data may be of clinical use for clinicians engaged in the front lines in order to address suicide risk prevention strategies among cancer patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S403-S403
Author(s):  
K. Stoychev ◽  
V. Nakov ◽  
D. Dekov ◽  
M. Baltov ◽  
R. Dinolova-Hodzhadzhikova ◽  
...  

IntroductionSuicidality is still an understudied problem in Bulgaria especially on a subnational (regional) level.ObjectivesTo collect data on suicidality in two major regions of Bulgaria with a population over 250,000 each (Plovdiv and Pleven) for a six years period (2009–2015).AimsTo analyze demographic, health-related and other characteristics associated with suicidal behavior as well as motives and methods of suicide.MethodsData were extracted from relevant documentation (medical records, public health reports, etc.) and statistically processed upon collection.ResultsMajority of suicide victims were males between 45 and 64 years while most suicide attempts occurred among 18–29 years old females.Leading method of suicide was hanging, followed by jumping from high places and use of firearm.Prevailing suicidal motives were psychotic symptoms, serious somatic illnesses and family problems. Depression accounted for 25% of all suicide cases and in another 25% motivation could not be identified because of insufficient data.The proportion of unemployed among suicide committers was not significantly higher than that of employed and retired.ConclusionsSevere mental disorders are a major trigger of suicidal behavior.Personal relationships should be targeted by suicide prevention interventions.Somatic illnesses are increasingly important suicide risk factor driven by the ongoing process of population aging.Frontline healthcare professionals should be trained to explore underlying suicidal motives and actively probe for depression in each case of suicidal behavior.Unemployment related suicide risk is most likely mediated through an adaptation crisis mechanism induced by the abrupt change of social status.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 451-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan S. Chesin ◽  
Beth S. Brodsky ◽  
Brandon Beeler ◽  
Christopher A. Benjamin-Phillips ◽  
Ida Taghavi ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Few investigations of patient perceptions of suicide prevention interventions exist, limiting our understanding of the processes and components of treatment that may be engaging and effective for high suicide-risk patients. Aims: Building on promising quantitative data that showed that adjunct mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent suicidal behavior (MBCT-S) reduced suicidal thinking and depression among high suicide-risk patients, we subjected MBCT-S to qualitative inspection by patient participants. Method: Data were provided by 15 patients who completed MBCT-S during a focus group and/or via a survey. Qualitative data were coded using thematic analysis. Themes were summarized using descriptive analysis. Results: Most patients viewed the intervention as acceptable and feasible. Patients attributed MBCT-S treatment engagement and clinical improvement to improved emotion regulation. A minority of patients indicated that factors related to the group treatment modality were helpful. A small percentage of patients found that aspects of the treatment increased emotional distress and triggered suicidal thinking. These experiences, however, were described as fleeting and were not linked to suicidal behavior. Limitations: The sample size was small. Conclusion: Information gathered from this study may assist in refining MBCT-S and treatments to prevent suicidal behavior among high suicide-risk patients generally.


Crisis ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Bilici ◽  
Mehmet Bekaroğlu ◽  
Çiçek Hocaoğlu ◽  
Serhat Gürp&inodot;nar ◽  
Cengiz Soylu ◽  
...  

Summary: Objective: Studies of completed and attempted suicide in Turkey are based on data of State Institute of Statistics (SIS) and emergency clinics of the large hospitals. This study seeks (1) to find, independent of the SIS and hospital data, the annual incidences of completed and attempted suicide in Trabzon, Turkey; (2) to examine the associated factors between the incidence of completed and attempted suicide. Method: The data are derived by using a method specially designed for this study. Data sources include emergency clinics in all hospitals, village clinics, the Forensic Medical Center of Trabzon, the Governorship of Trabzon, “mukhtars” (local village representatives) of neighborhoods, the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Trabzon, the Police Headquarters and Gendarmerie, and the local press organs. Results: The incidences of completed and attempted suicide per 100,000 inhabitants turned out to be 2.60 and 31.5, respectively, whereas the SIS reported the incidence of completed suicide to be 1.11 per 100,000 inhabitants in Trabzon in 1995. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that SIS data are inadequate for suicide research in Turkey. Our findings show that the risk of completed and attempted suicide is high in young, unmarried, and unemployed persons, and that these groups must be carefully evaluated for suicide risk. The study highlights the need for culture-specific research on suicidal behavior in Turkey.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S101-S101
Author(s):  
D. Cozman ◽  
R. Moldovan ◽  
B. Nemes

IntroductionA better understanding of the genomics of mental illnesses allowed genetic counselling to be provided to individuals with severe mental illness and their families.AimThe present study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of genetic counselling for severe mental illnesses with high suicide risk.MethodAssessment was performed before and after genetic counselling session. Measures used were evaluation of traumatic events in childhood, multidimensional scale for perception of social support (SMSSP), positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS-X), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Paykel questionnaire and Genetic Counselling Outcome Scale (GCOS). Paykel's questionnaire consists of five questions about suicidal thoughts and attempts, including: life-weariness, death wishes, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans and suicide attempts. Intervention and assessment lasted approximately one and a half hour. Data from 48 patients was analysed.ResultsMean age of participants was M = 38.4, SD = 9.7, and the group was batter represented by females (57%). The participants had various diagnoses, 22% had schizophrenia, 36% bipolar disorder and 42% recurrent depressive disorder. Forty percent of participants reported suicidal ideation and 22,5% had a past history of suicide attempt. Genetic counselling had a direct positive influence upon GCOS specific items and reduced the Paykel scores among participants presenting with suicidal ideation.ConclusionGenetic counselling offers information about the disorder, the role of genetics and the impact of environmental factors. Preliminary data suggest that providing genetic counselling decreases the suicidal ideation frequency.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2010 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 785-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Pompili ◽  
David Lester ◽  
Marco Innamorati ◽  
Paolo Girardi ◽  
Roberto Tatarelli

To verify the hypothesis that suicide attempts are associated with lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels of patients with mood disorders, 26 patients with mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder) were admitted after a medically serious suicide attempt to the emergency department and then hospitalized in the psychiatric unit of the Sant'Andrea Hospital (Rome, Italy). Controls were 87 patients who had not made a recent suicide attempt. Attempters and nonattempters did not differ in the levels of serum cholesterol or triglycerides. Indeed, attempters had nonsignificantly higher serum levels of cholesterol and lower serum levels of triglycerides. The use of biologic indicators such as levels of serum cholesterol and triglycerides in the prediction of suicide risk in mood disorders was not fully supported from this small sample.


2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-M. Azorin ◽  
A. Kaladjian ◽  
M. Adida ◽  
E. Fakra ◽  
E. Hantouche ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To identify some of the main features of bipolar disorder for both first-episode (FE) mania and the preceding prodromal phase, in order to increase earlier recognition.Methods:One thousand and ninety manic patients (FE=81, multiple-episodes [ME]=1009) were assessed for clinical and temperamental characteristics.Results:Compared to ME, FE patients reported more psychotic and less depressive symptoms but were comparable with respect to temperamental measures and comorbid anxiety. The following independent variables were associated with FE mania: a shorter delay before correct diagnosis, greater substance use, being not divorced, greater stressors before current mania, a prior diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, lower levels of depression during index manic episode, and more suicide attempts in the past year.Conclusion:In FE patients, the diagnosis of mania may be overlooked, as they present with more psychotic symptoms than ME patients. The prodromal phase is characterised by high levels of stress, suicide attempts, anxiety disorders and alcohol or substance abuse. Data suggest to consider these prodromes as harmful consequences of temperamental predispositions to bipolar disorder that may concur to precipitate mania onset. Their occurrence should therefore incite clinicians to screen for the presence of such predispositions, in order to identify patients at risk of FE mania.


1998 ◽  
Vol 173 (6) ◽  
pp. 531-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkki T. Isometsä ◽  
Jouko K. Lönnqvist

BackgroundThis study investigated three questions with major implications for suicide prevention: the sensitivity of the history of previous suicide attempt(s) as an indicator of suicide risk, the time interval from a preceding suicide attempt to the fatal one, and switching of suicide methods by those eventually completing suicide.MethodThe lifetime history of suicide attempts and the methods the victims (n=1397) used were examined in a nationwide psychological autopsy study comprising all suicides in Finland within a 12-month research period in 1987–1988.ResultsOverall, 56% of suicide victims were found to have died at their first suicide attempt, more males (62%) than females (38%). In 19% of males and 39% of females the victim had made a non-fatal attempt during the final year. Of the victims with previous attempts, 82% had used at least two different methods in their suicide attempts (the fatal included).ConclusionsMost male and a substantial proportion of female suicides die in their first suicide attempt, a fact that necessitates early recognition of suicide risk, particularly among males. Recognition of periods of high suicide risk on the grounds of recent non-fatal suicide attempts is likely to be important for suicide prevention among females. Subjects completing suicide commonly switch from one suicide method to another, a finding that weakens but does not negate the credibility of restrictions on the availability of lethal methods as a preventive measure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1181-1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. W. Chan ◽  
H. C. So ◽  
C. L. M. Hui ◽  
W. C. Chang ◽  
E. H. M. Lee ◽  
...  

Background.Despite evidence on the short-term benefits of early intervention (EI) service for psychosis, long-term outcome studies are limited by inconsistent results. This study examined the 10-year outcomes of patients with first-episode psychosis who received 2-year territory-wide EI service compared to those who received standard care (SC) in Hong Kong using an historical control design.Method.Consecutive patients who received the EI service between 1 July 2001 and 30 June 2002, and with diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, were identified and matched with patients who received SC first presented to the public psychiatric service from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001. In total, 148 matched pairs of patients were identified. Cross-sectional information on symptomatology and functioning was obtained through semi-structured interview; longitudinal information on hospitalization, functioning, suicide attempts, mortality and relapse over 10 years was obtained from clinical database. There were 70.3% (N = 104) of SC and 74.3% (N = 110) of EI patients interviewed.Results.Results suggested that EI patients had reduced suicide rate (χ2(1) = 4.35, p = 0.037), fewer number [odds ratio (OR) 1.56, χ2 = 15.64, p < 0.0001] and shorter duration of hospitalization (OR 1.29, χ2 = 4.06, p = 0.04), longer employment periods (OR −0.28, χ2 = 14.64, p < 0.0001) and fewer suicide attempts (χ2 = 11.47, df = 1, p = 0.001) over 10 years. At 10 years, no difference was found in psychotic symptoms, symptomatic remission and functional recovery.Conclusions.The short-term benefits of the EI service on number of hospitalizations and employment was sustained after service termination, but the differences narrowed down. This suggests the need to evaluate the optimal duration of the EI service.


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