scholarly journals The National Institute of Mental Health: Research Agenda and Priorities in Geriatrics and Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 621-621
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Necka
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Behavioral Science ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Preclinical Research ◽  
Affective Science ◽  
Prevention Interventions

Abstract The Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports research on the etiology, pathophysiology, and trajectory of late life mental disorders. The branch encourages research using neuroscience, cognitive and affective science, and social and behavioral science to translate basic and preclinical research to clinical research. The branch prioritizes research that investigates neuropsychiatric disorders of aging, how they interact with neurodevelopment/neurodegeneration, and how to assess, treat, and prevent them. Of particular interest is research on social isolation and suicide. Suicide prevention research is an urgent priority: NIMH’s portfolio includes projects aimed at identifying those at risk for suicide, understanding causes of suicide risk, developing suicide prevention interventions, and testing the effectiveness of these interventions and services in real-world settings. In this talk, a NIMH program official will discuss the NIMH research agenda in the domain of late-life mental illness, social isolation, and suicide.

scholarly journals Creating the infrastructure for mental health research

2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 403-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Thornicroft ◽  
Jonathan Bindman ◽  
David Goldberg ◽  
Kevin Gournay ◽  
Peter Huxley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
National Service ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
National Service Framework ◽  
Service Framework

The purpose of this paper is to identify the important gaps in research coverage, particularly in areas key to the National Service Framework for Mental Health (NSF-MH) (Department of Health, 1999) and the NHS Plan (Department of Health, 2000), and to translate these gaps into researchable questions, with a view to developing a potential research agenda for consideration by research funders.

Rising Indigenous suicide rates in Kimberley and implications for suicide prevention

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Campbell ◽  
Murray Chapman ◽  
Cate McHugh ◽  
Adelln Sng ◽  
Sivasankaran Balaratnasingam
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Indigenous Youth ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Culturally Informed ◽  
Retrospective Audit ◽  
Prevention Interventions

Objectives: This audit examined the demographics of Indigenous Australians dying by suicide in the Kimberley region of Western Australia during the period 2005–2014. Methods: This is a de-identified retrospective audit of reported suicide deaths provided to Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service during the period 2005–2014. Variables such as age, sex, method of suicide, previous engagement with mental health services, locality and ethnicity were assessed. Results: Indigenous suicide rates in the Kimberley region have dramatically increased in the last decade. There is also an overall trend upwards in Indigenous youth suicide and Indigenous female suicides. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for culturally informed, and youth focussed, suicide prevention interventions within the Kimberley region.

Near-Fatal Self-Harm Among Canadian Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 070674372110586
Author(s):  
Rachel HB Mitchell ◽  
Cornelius Ani ◽  
Claude Cyr ◽  
James Irvine ◽  
Ari R Joffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Surveillance Program ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Self Harm

Objective To evaluate the clinical features of Canadian adolescents admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for medically serious self-harm. Methods 2700 Canadian paediatricians were surveyed monthly over two years (January 2017 to December 2018) through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program to ascertain data from eligible cases. Results Ninety-three cases (73 female; age 15.2 ± 1.5) met the case definition. Four provinces reported the majority of cases: Quebec (n = 27), Ontario (n = 26), Alberta (n = 21), and British Columbia (n = 8). There were 10 deaths, 9 by hanging. Overdose and hanging were the most frequently reported methods of self-harm (74.2% and 19.4%, respectively). Overdose was more common in females (80.8% females vs. 50% males; χ2 = 7.8 (1), p = .005), whereas hanging was more common in males (35% males vs. 15.1% females, χ2 = 3.9 (1), p = .04). More females than males had a past psychiatric diagnosis (79% vs. 58%; χ2 = 4.1 (1), p = .06), a previous suicide attempt (55.9% vs. 29.4%, χ2 = 3.8 (1), p = .05), and prior use of mental health service (69.7% vs. 27.8%, χ2 = 10.4 (1), p = .001). Family conflict was the most commonly identified precipitating factor (43%) of self-harm. Conclusions Among Canadian adolescents admitted to the ICU with medically serious self-harm, females demonstrate a higher rate of suicide attempts and prior mental health care engagement, whereas males are more likely to die by suicide. These findings are consistent with data from other adolescent samples, as well as data from working-age and older adults. Therefore, a sex-specific approach to suicide prevention is warranted as part of a national suicide prevention strategy; family conflict may be a specific target for suicide prevention interventions among adolescents.

A Collaborative Mental Health Research Agenda in a Community of Poor and Underserved Latinos

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 671-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria-Rosa Watson ◽  
Stacey Kaltman ◽  
Tiffany G. Townsend ◽  
Tawara Goode ◽  
Marcela Campoli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Mental Health Research

scholarly journals Suicide Prevention: University Students’ Narratives on Their Reasons for Living and for Dying

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8029
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Silvia Piol ◽  
Diego De De Leo
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Reasons For Living ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Main Ideas

Social isolation and loneliness are increasing in our contemporary western society and seem to correlate with suicide in adolescents and young adults. Social Workers are a potential resource to create such initiatives and projects that promote inclusion and cohesion within communities, a protective factor against suicide. Sixty-two Social Work BA students participated in a Death Education course based on education on suicide prevention. Participants carried out two activities. First, they were invited to complete two written semi-structured interviews on young people’s reasons for living and dying. Second, they were invited to design suicide prevention interventions targeted at their peers and adolescents. Data were analyzed qualitatively within the Thematic Analysis framework. As regards the first activity, four main themes were identified: (1) Internet and social media; (2) social isolation and loneliness; (3) the importance of proximal relationships; and, (4) the importance of networking between proximal relationships, educational institutions and mental health services. Whereas, as for suicide prevention interventions, three main ideas were identified: (1) suicide prevention through community and networking between services; (2) academic institutions: high schools and universities; and, (3) suicide prevention through new technologies. To conclude, Death Education as education on suicide prevention can offer young people a space in which to voice their and their peers’ reasons for living and dying and to reflect upon their contribution to suicide prevention as students and as future professionals.

scholarly journals Quantifying Suicidal Ideation on Social Media using Machine Learning: A Critical Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 4092-4100
Author(s):  
Syed Tanzeel Rabani ◽  
Qamar Rayees Khan ◽  
Akib Mohi Ud Din Khanday
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts

Suicidal ideation is one of the severe mental health issues and a serious social problem faced by our society. This problem has been usually dealt with through the psychological point of view, using clinical face to face settings. There are various risk factors associated with suicides, including social isolation, anxiety, depression, etc., that decrease the threshold for suicide. The COVID-19 pandemic further increases social isolation, posing a great threat to the human population. Posting suicidal thoughts on social media is gaining much attention due to the social stigma associated with the mental health. Online Social Networks (OSN) are increasingly used to express the suicidal thoughts. Recently, a top Indian actor industry took the harsh step of suicide. The last Instagram posts revealed signs of depression, which if anticipated could have saved the precious life. Recent research indicated that the public information on social media provides valuable insights on detecting the users with the suicidal ideation. The motive of this study is to provide a systematic review of the work done already in the use of social media for suicide prevention and propose a novel classification approach that classifies the suicide related tweets/ posts into three levels of distress. Moreover, our proposed classification task which was implemented through various machine learning techniques revealed high accuracy in classifying the suicidal posts. Among all algorithms, the best performing algorithm was that of the decision tree, with an F1 score ranging 0.95-0.97. After thoroughly studying the work achieved by different researchers in the area of suicide prevention, our study critically analyses those works and finds various research gaps and solves some of them. We believe that our work will motivate research community to look into other gaps that will in turn help psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors to protect individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.

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