scholarly journals Patterns and motivations for method choices in suicidal thoughts and behaviour: qualitative content analysis of a large online survey

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Marzano ◽  
Dafni Katsampa ◽  
Jay-Marie Mackenzie ◽  
Ian Kruger ◽  
Nazli El-Gharbawi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Behaviour ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Suicide Method ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Impulsive Behaviour ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
History Of

Background Choice of suicide method can strongly influence the outcome of suicidal behaviour, and is an important aspect of the process and planning involved in a suicide attempt. Yet, the reasons why individuals consider, choose or discard particular methods are not well understood. Aims This is the first study to explore method choices among people with a history of suicidal behaviour and individuals who have experienced, but not enacted, suicidal thoughts. Method Via an online survey, we gathered open-ended data about choice of methods in relation to suicidal thoughts and behaviours, including reasons for and against specific means of harm. Results A total of 712 respondents had attempted suicide, and a further 686 experienced suicidal thoughts (but not acted on them). Self-poisoning was the most commonly contemplated and used method of suicide, but most respondents had considered multiple methods. Method choices when contemplating suicide included a broader range of means than those used in actual attempts, and more unusual methods, particularly if perceived to be lethal, ‘easy’, quick, accessible and/or painless. Methods used in suicide attempts were, above all, described as having been accessible at the time, and were more commonly said to have been chosen impulsively. Key deterrents against the use of specific methods were the presence of and impact on other people, especially loved ones, and fears of injury and survival. Conclusions Exploration of method choices can offer novel insights into the transition from suicidal ideation to behaviour. Results underscore the need for preventative measures to restrict access to means and delay impulsive behaviour.

scholarly journals Suicidal behaviour: an epidemiological and genetic study

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. STATHAM ◽  
A. C. HEATH ◽  
P. A. F. MADDEN ◽  
K. K. BUCHOLZ ◽  
L. BIERUT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Behaviour ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Physical Assault ◽  
Psychiatric History ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Childhood Conduct Problems ◽  
History Of

Background. Psychiatric history, familial history of suicide attempts, and certain traumatic life events are important predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviour. We examined the epidemiology and genetics of suicidality (i.e. reporting persistent suicidal thoughts or a plan or suicide attempt) in a large community-based sample of MZ and DZ twin pairs.Method. Diagnostic telephone interviews were conducted in 1992–3 with twins from an Australian twin panel first surveyed in 1980–82 (N=5995 respondents). Data were analysed using logistic regression models, taking into account twin pair zygosity and the history of suicidality in the respondent's co-twin.Results. Lifetime prevalence of suicidal thoughts and attempts was remarkably constant across birth cohorts 1930–1964, and across gender. Major psychiatric correlates were history of major depression, panic disorder, social phobia in women, alcohol dependence and childhood conduct problems. Traumatic events involving assault (childhood sexual abuse, rape or physical assault) or status-loss (job loss, loss of property or home, divorce), and the personality trait neuroticism, were also significantly associated with suicide measures. Prevalence of serious suicide attempts varied as a function of religious affiliation. After controlling for these variables, however, history of suicide attempts or persistent thoughts in the respondent's co-twin remained a powerful predictor in MZ pairs (odds ratio=3·9), but was not consistently predictive in DZ pairs. Overall, genetic factors accounted for approximately 45% of the variance in suicidal thoughts and behaviour (95% confidence interval 33–51%).Conclusions. Risk of persistent suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts is determined by a complex interplay of psychiatric history, neuroticism, traumatic life experiences, genetic vulnerability specific for suicidal behaviour and sociocultural risk or protective factors.

scholarly journals History of Suicide Attempts in Adults With Asperger Syndrome

Crisis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Paquette-Smith ◽  
Jonathan Weiss ◽  
Yona Lunsky
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Asperger Syndrome ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Autism Symptomatology ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
History Of Depression ◽  
Severe Autism

Background: Individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) may be at higher risk for attempting suicide compared to the general population. Aims: This study examines the issue of suicidality in adults with AS. Method: An online survey was completed by 50 adults from across Ontario. The sample was dichotomized into individuals who had attempted suicide (n = 18) and those who had not (n = 32). We examined the relationship between predictor variables and previous attempts, and compared the services that both groups are currently receiving. Results: Over 35% of individuals with AS reported that they had attempted suicide in the past. Individuals who attempted suicide were more likely to have a history of depression and self-reported more severe autism symptomatology. Those with and without a suicidal history did not differ in terms of the services they were currently receiving. This study looks at predictors retrospectively and cannot ascertain how long ago the attempt was made. Although efforts were made to obtain a representative sample, there is the possibility that the individuals surveyed may be more or less distressed than the general population with AS. Conclusion: The suicide attempt rate in our sample is much higher than the 4.6% lifetime prevalence seen in the general population. These findings highlight a need for more specialized services to help prevent future attempts and to support this vulnerable group.

scholarly journals Factors associated with suicide attempts among Australian transgender adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sav Zwickl ◽  
Alex Fang Qi Wong ◽  
Eden Dowers ◽  
Shalem Yiner-Lee Leemaqz ◽  
Ingrid Bretherton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Lifetime History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Self Harm

Abstract Background Transgender, including gender diverse and non-binary people, henceforth referred to collectively as trans people, are a highly marginalised population with alarming rates of suicidal ideation, attempted suicide and self-harm. We aimed to understand the risk and protective factors of a lifetime history of attempted suicide in a community sample of Australian trans adults to guide better mental health support and suicide prevention strategies. Methods Using a non-probability snowball sampling approach, a total of 928 trans adults completed a cross-sectional online survey between September 2017 and January 2018. The survey assessed demographic data, mental health morbidity, a lifetime history of intentional self-harm and attempted suicide, experiences of discrimination, experiences of assault, access to gender affirming healthcare and access to trans peer support groups. Logistic regression was used to examine the risk or protective effect of participant characteristics on the odds of suicide. Results Of 928 participants, 85% self-reported a lifetime diagnosis of depression, 63% reported previous self-harm, and 43% had attempted suicide. Higher odds of reporting a lifetime history of suicide attempts were found in people who were; unemployed (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.55 (1.05, 2.29), p = 0.03), had a diagnosis of depression (aOR 3.70 (2.51, 5.45), p < 0.001), desired gender affirming surgery in the future (aOR 1.73 (1.14, 2.61), p = 0.01), had experienced physical assault (aOR 2.01 (1.37, 2.95), p < 0.001) or experienced institutional discrimination related to their trans status (aOR 1.59 (1.14, 2.23), p = 0.007). Conclusion Suicidality is associated with barriers to gender affirming care, gender based victimisation and institutionalised cissexism. Interventions to increase social inclusion, reduce transphobia and enable timely access to gender affirming care, particularly surgical interventions, are potential areas of intervention.

Attempted suicide attention at an emergency room: A hospital-based descriptive approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S603-S603
Author(s):  
D. Torres ◽  
G. Martinez-Ales ◽  
M. Quintana ◽  
V. Pastor ◽  
M.F. Bravo
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Room ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitalization ◽  
Study Results ◽  
History Of ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
Medium Cost ◽  
Rule Out

IntroductionSuicide causes 1.4% of deaths worldwide. Twenty times more frequent, suicide attempts entail an important source of disability and of psychosocial and medical resources use.ObjectiveTo describe main socio-demographical and psychiatric risk factors of suicide attempters treated in a general hospital's emergency room basis.AimsTo identify individual features potentially useful to improve both emergency treatments and resource investment.MethodsA descriptive study including data from 2894 patients treated in a general hospital's emergency room after a suicidal attempt between years 2006 and 2014.ResultsSixty-nine percent of the population treated after an attempted suicide were women. Mean age was 38 years old. Sixty-six percent had familiar support; 48.5% had previously attempted a suicide (13% did not answer this point); 72.6% showed a personal history of psychiatric illness. Drug use was present in 38.3% of the patients (20.3% did not answer this question); 23.5% were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. Medium cost of a psychiatric hospitalization was found to be 4900 euros.ConclusionThis study results agree with previously reported data. Further observational studies are needed in order to bear out these findings, rule out potential confounders and thus infer and quantify causality related to each risk factor.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Child Abuse and Attempted Suicide

1980 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacquie Roberts ◽  
Keith Hawton
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Psychiatric Disturbance ◽  
At Risk Children ◽  
History Of ◽  
Group A ◽  
Marital Breakdown ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryOf a sample of families containing abused and at risk children, in 29 per cent one or both parents had attempted suicide. The rate at which the suicide attempts were repeated within a year was higher than that expected for other attempters of the same age group. A previous history of psychiatric disturbance and marital breakdown was strongly associated with the combination of child abuse and suicidal behaviour. The relationship between child abuse and attempted suicide did not appear in most cases to have been a direct one; often both forms of behaviour seemed to reflect marital difficulties.

scholarly journals Exploring Personality Features in Patients with Affective Disorders and History of Suicide Attempts: A Comparative Study with Their Parents and Control Subjects

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Camarena ◽  
Ana Fresán ◽  
Emmanuel Sarmiento
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Character Inventory ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
History Of

Personality traits are important candidate predictors of suicidal behavior. Several studies have reported an association between personality/temperament traits and suicidal behavior, suggesting personality traits as intermediary phenotypes related to suicidal behavior. Thus, it is possible that suicide attempts can be accounted for by increased familial rates of risk personality traits. The aim of this work was to evaluate personality traits in affective disorder patients with attempted suicide and to compare them with the personality trait scores of their parents. In addition, ITC scores in the two groups were compared with a healthy control sample. The patients evaluated met the DSM-IV criteria for major depression disorder or dysthymia and had a documented history of suicide attempts. Psychiatric diagnoses of patients and parents were done according to the SCID-I and the personality was assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory. We analyzed 49 suicide attempt subjects and their parents (n=95) and 89 control subjects. We observed that temperament and character dimensions were similar between patients and their parents (P>0.05). In particular, we observed that high HA and low P, SD, and CO were shared among families. Our study is the first to report that the personality traits of affective disorder patients with a history of attempted suicide are shared between patients and their parents.

scholarly journals DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders and suicide and attempted suicide in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 209 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongsheng Tong ◽  
Michael R. Phillips ◽  
Kenneth R. Conner
Keyword(s):  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Suicidal Behaviour ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Axis Ii ◽  
Clinical Interviews ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Axis I ◽  
Dsm Iv

BackgroundThere are meagre data on Axis II personality disorders and suicidal behaviour in China.AimsTo describe the prevalence of Axis II personality disorders in suicides and suicide attempts in China and to estimate risk for these outcomes associated with personality disorders.MethodPeople who died by suicide (n = 151), people who attempted suicide (n = 118) and living community controls (n = 140) were randomly sampled from four Chinese counties and studied using the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID-II). We also determined the prevalence of subthreshold versions of ten DSM-IV personality disorders.ResultsAxis II personality disorders were present in 7% of the suicide group, 6% of the suicide attempt group and 1% of the control group. Threshold and subthreshold personality disorders had adjusted odds ratios (point estimates) in the range of 2.7–8.0 for suicide and for suicide attempts.ConclusionsAxis II personality disorders may confer increased risk for suicidal behaviour in China, but their low prevalence in the community and among people with suicidal behaviour suggests that other personality constructs such as select dimensional traits may be a more fruitful avenue for understanding and preventing suicide in China.

Increased risk of attempted suicide in Australian veterans is associated with total and permanent incapacitation, unemployment and posttraumatic stress disorder severity

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 552-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelyn Kerr ◽  
Madeline Romaniuk ◽  
Sarah McLeay ◽  
Andrew Khoo ◽  
Michael T Dent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of

Background: Military veterans have higher rates of suicidality and completed suicides compared to the general population. Previous research has demonstrated suicidal behaviour is higher in US combat veterans who are younger, suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety and score lower on measures of health. However, research on predictors of suicide for Australian veterans is limited. The aim of this study was to identify significant demographic and psychological differences between veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder who had attempted suicide and those with posttraumatic stress disorder who had not, as well as determine predictors of suicide attempts within an Australian cohort. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 229 ex-service personnel diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder who had attended a Military Service Trauma Recovery Day Program as outpatients at Toowong Private Hospital from 2007 to 2014. Patients completed a battery of mental health self-report questionnaires assessing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, anger, depression, anxiety and quality of life. Demographic information and self-reported history of suicide attempts were also recorded. Results: Results indicated the average age was significantly lower, and the rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, anger, anxiety and depression symptoms were significantly higher in those veterans with history of a suicide attempt. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity, unemployment or total and permanent incapacity pension status significantly predicted suicide attempt history. Conclusion: Among a cohort of Australian veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathology severity, unemployment and total and permanent incapacity status are significantly associated with suicidality. This study highlights the importance of early identification of posttraumatic stress disorder and psychopathology, therapeutic and social engagement, and prioritisation of tangible employment options or meaningful and goal-directed activities for veterans deemed unable to work.

Prevalence of reported suicidal behaviour in the general population and mental health-care staff

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1189-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
INGA-LILL RAMBERG ◽  
DANUTA WASSERMAN
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Suicidal Behaviour ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Age And Sex

Background. Higher rates of suicidal behaviour have been reported among staff in mental health care than in the general population. However, no studies of these two groups have been carried out simultaneously, using the same methods. This study aims to investigate whether they differ in terms of age- and sex-standardized prevalence of suicidal behaviour.Methods. Identical questions about suicidal behaviour were addressed in the same year to a random sample of the general population and to mental health-care staff in Stockholm. Life weariness among the latter was also investigated.Results. Age- and sex-standardized past year prevalences of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were found to be similar among mental health-care staff and the general population. Lifetime prevalence of both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts was significantly higher among mental health-care staff than among the general population. Psychologists/social workers have a higher probability of: lifetime thoughts of life is not worth living; death wishes; and, suicidal thoughts, than nurses/assistant nurses.Conclusions. Reports on lifetime prevalence of suicidal behaviour may be biased in populations that are not reminded of these problems in everyday life. Data on past year prevalence of suicidal behaviour show clearly the similarity between the general population and the mental health-care staff.

scholarly journals The effects of screen time and social media on depressed feelings and suicidal thoughts among undergraduates

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Evans ◽  
Kassidy Smith ◽  
Hailey Wimmenauer ◽  
Sharon Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Past ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Advocacy Campaigns

Beginning around 2011, there have been increases in mental health issues among teens and young adults. A possible reason for this rise has been the growth of social media through electronic communication; therefore, this study examined social media usage and suicide among undergraduates. An online survey was developed and after Institutional Review Board approval, was completed by 506 undergraduates (67.9% female, 32.1% male) at 23 southeastern and midwestern higher education institutions. Among these undergraduates, it was found that 24% thought about suicide in the past year and 4.2% had actually attempted to kill themselves. Those who considered killing themselves in the past year were significantly more likely to feel the need to compare themselves to others when browsing social media (p<.0001), felt their life was worse than others based on what they saw on social media (p<.0001), and had feelings of sadness or suicidal thoughts after browsing social media (p<.0001) compared to those who had not thought of suicide. Undergraduates who had attempted suicide in the past year were more likely to feel their self-image was negatively affected by interaction with social media websites (p<.05) and also had feelings of sadness or suicidal thoughts after browsing social media (p<.05) compared to those who had not attempted suicide. Females were more likely than males to report negative effects of browsing social media (p<.001). These significant associations between suicidal thoughts and social media usage should be studied further to better devise health education and advocacy campaigns among this population.

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