scholarly journals Alexithymia, Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour in Moroccan Psychoactive Substance Users

Author(s):  
Khadija Karjouh ◽  
Fatima-Zahra Azzaoui ◽  
Riadh Ouerchefani ◽  
Wafae idrissi semlali ◽  
Khaoula Mammad ◽  
...  

Abstract Alexithymia is an emotion regulation problem that may be related to suicidality, especially in patients with SUD.The study aimed at estimating the prevalence of alexithymia in Moroccan psychoactive substances users, and to establish the links between alexithymia and suicidal ideation and behaviors, anxiety and depression in drug-dependent patients.We also aimed to elucidate if alexithymia predicts suicidal thoughts and behaviors in these consumers. The study included 451 consecutively admitted patients with substance use. Consumers were examined with the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)Among substance-dependent individuals, 72.7% was identified as a group with alexithymia. Current age and age at first substance use were lower in the alexithymic group (p<0.01).The mean STAI-Y state and C-SSRS scores were higher in the group with alexithymia (p<0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of mean scores for anxiety traits (p<0.05) and no significant difference in terms of mean scores for depression. All of the scores correlated significantly with.Addicted patients with alexithymia could be targeted at preventing the onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviorThe present study also evokes that whenever an emotional regulation disorder is observed, the possibility of anxio-depressive symptomatology and suicidality (ideation and behavior) needs to be assessed.

Author(s):  
Tyler Pia ◽  
Igor Galynker ◽  
Allison Schuck ◽  
Courtney Sinclair ◽  
Gelan Ying ◽  
...  

Background: Perfectionism has been linked to suicide. According to the Narrative-Crisis Model of suicide, individuals with trait vulnerabilities are prone to develop a certain mindset, known as a Suicidal Narrative, which may precipitate the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), culminating in suicide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perfectionism (trait vulnerability), fear of humiliation (component of the Suicidal Narrative), SCS, and prospective near-term suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). Methods: Adult psychiatric outpatient participants (N = 336) were assessed at baseline with the Suicidal Narrative Inventory for perfectionism and fear of humiliation. The questions used to assess perfectionism were adapted from the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. The severity of the SCS was calculated using the Suicide Crisis Inventory. STB were assessed at baseline and after one month using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Serial mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS version 3.3 in SPSS. Results: While the direct effect of perfectionism on prospective STB was not significant (b = 0.01, p = 0.19), the indirect effect of perfectionism on STB, through serial mediation by fear of humiliation and the SCS, was significant (indirect effect p = 0.007, 95% CI [0.003, 0.013]). The indirect effect was not significant for models that did not include both mediators. Limitations: Variables were assessed at one time only. Conclusion: Perfectionism did not directly modulate STB. Perfectionism may be related to suicidal behavior through fear of humiliation, leading to the SCS. These results support the Narrative-Crisis Model of suicide and clarify the role of perfectionism in the etiology of suicide.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Shruti S. Kinkel-Ram ◽  
William Grunewald ◽  
Lindsay P. Bodell ◽  
April R. Smith

Abstract Background Suicide is one of the most commonly reported causes of death in individuals with eating disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying the suicide and disordered eating link are largely unknown, and current assessments are still unable to accurately predict future suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The purpose of this study is to test the utility of two promising proximal risk factors, sleep quality and agitation, in predicting suicidal ideation in a sample of individuals with elevated suicidal thoughts and behaviors, namely those with eating disorders. Methods Women (N = 97) receiving treatment at an eating disorder treatment center completed weekly questionnaires assessing suicidal ideation, agitation, and sleep. General linear mixed models examined whether agitation and/or sleep quality were concurrently or prospectively associated with suicidal ideation across 12 weeks of treatment. Results There was a significant interaction between within-person agitation and sleep quality on suicidal ideation [B(s.e.) = −0.02(0.01), p < 0.05], such that on weeks when an individual experienced both higher than their average agitation and lower than their average sleep quality, they also experienced their highest levels of suicidal ideation. However, neither agitation nor sleep quality prospectively predicted suicidal ideation. Conclusions This study was the first to examine dynamic associations between interpersonal constructs and suicidal ideation in individuals with eating disorders. Results suggest that ongoing assessment for overarousal symptoms, such as agitation and poor sleep quality, in individuals with eating disorders may be warranted in order to manage suicidal ideation among this vulnerable population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 408-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianne Schmaal ◽  
Anne-Laura van Harmelen ◽  
Vasiliki Chatzi ◽  
Elizabeth T. C. Lippard ◽  
Yara J. Toenders ◽  
...  

AbstractIdentifying brain alterations that contribute to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are important to develop more targeted and effective strategies to prevent suicide. In the last decade, and especially in the last 5 years, there has been exponential growth in the number of neuroimaging studies reporting structural and functional brain circuitry correlates of STBs. Within this narrative review, we conducted a comprehensive review of neuroimaging studies of STBs published to date and summarize the progress achieved on elucidating neurobiological substrates of STBs, with a focus on converging findings across studies. We review neuroimaging evidence across differing mental disorders for structural, functional, and molecular alterations in association with STBs, which converges particularly in regions of brain systems that subserve emotion and impulse regulation including the ventral prefrontal cortex (VPFC) and dorsal PFC (DPFC), insula and their mesial temporal, striatal and posterior connection sites, as well as in the connections between these brain areas. The reviewed literature suggests that impairments in medial and lateral VPFC regions and their connections may be important in the excessive negative and blunted positive internal states that can stimulate suicidal ideation, and that impairments in a DPFC and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) system may be important in suicide attempt behaviors. A combination of VPFC and DPFC system disturbances may lead to very high risk circumstances in which suicidal ideation is converted to lethal actions via decreased top-down inhibition of behavior and/or maladaptive, inflexible decision-making and planning. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and insula may play important roles in switching between these VPFC and DPFC systems, which may contribute to the transition from suicide thoughts to behaviors. Future neuroimaging research of larger sample sizes, including global efforts, longitudinal designs, and careful consideration of developmental stages, and sex and gender, will facilitate more effectively targeted preventions and interventions to reduce loss of life to suicide.


2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Ilgen ◽  
Mandi L. Burnette ◽  
Kenneth R. Conner ◽  
Ewa Czyz ◽  
Regan Murray ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsey Wilks ◽  
Carol Chu ◽  
DongGun Sim ◽  
Josh Lovell ◽  
Peter Gutierrez ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND People with suicidal thoughts are more inclined to seek technology-delivered interventions than in-person forms of treatment, making mobile apps for suicide prevention an ideal platform for treatment delivery. OBJECTIVE This review examines apps designed for suicide prevention, with a specific focus on user engagement. METHODS All apps referring to suicidal thoughts and behaviors were identified in Google Play and iOS app stores and were systematically reviewed for app content and quality. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to evaluate app usability and engagement. RESULTS A total of 66 apps were identified. Most (64.0%) were designed specifically for people with suicidal ideation, whereas 89.3% had at least one best practice feature for suicide risk reduction and 83.3% scored in the “acceptable” range according to the MARS. The total MARS score was not associated with the user app rating or the number of features. CONCLUSIONS Only free apps were systematically evaluated, potentially limiting the breadth of this review. It is unclear how frequently these apps are used, whether they are reaching target audiences, or most importantly, if they are effective at reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukriti Drabu

This study investigated the role of culture on suicidal thoughts and behaviors by examining (i) differences in explicit reporting of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, (ii) differences in implicit association of suicidal thoughts (iii) correlation of implicit- explicit reporting of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (iv) correlation between religion, religiosity level and reporting of suicidal thoughts between community samples from India and the USA. The study also tested the feasibility of using a measure of cognitive processing (i.e. the Implicit Association Task) as opposed to a self-report measure to identify implicit or hidden associations with suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Given the scarcity of available research on cross-cultural suicidal thoughts and behaviors, this study aims to bridge the current gap and provide evidence on the cultural variability in expression and development of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The study hypothesized a lower level of explicit reporting of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the Indian sample (as compared to the USA sample), but equivalent or higher level of implicit association with death/suicide related stimuli. Further, a significant difference in the correlation between religiosity level and suicidal behaviors, moderated by religion, was expected between the two countries. Participants were recruited online using Mechanical Turk to target individuals from India and the USA. A self-report questionnaire format was used to capture information about the participants’ explicit reporting of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, associated risk factors, religious affiliations and country of birth. Implicit cognition towards suicide was measured using an online version of the Death/Suicide IAT. The results showed a significantly lower level of explicit reporting in India as compared to the USA sample but comparable implicit reporting levels. Further, the results also reported a significantly different correlation of religiosity and suicidal thoughts between the two country samples. This study provides initial evidence suggesting a significant role of cultural setting in the reporting and expression of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study is also the first to test the feasibility of using the Death/Suicide IAT for measuring implicit suicide related cognition in India.


Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 107319112091362
Author(s):  
Jeffrey V. Tabares ◽  
Jonathan E. Butner ◽  
Craig J. Bryan ◽  
Julia A. Harris

Suicide risk screening assumes that suicidal thoughts and behaviors exist on a continuous, hierarchical spectrum with some suicidal thoughts implicated with greater risk for suicidal behaviors. However, screening measures based on the hierarchical model may not capture the suicide risk construct. This study assessed psychometric properties of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS) for (a) between- and within-person measurement dimensions, (b) item utility in capturing the suicide risk construct, and (c) tenability of a hierarchical risk model. We found that the CSSRS functions differentially between and within individuals, CSSRS items capture more suicide risk construct, and that CSSRS items in current practice likely appear in the correct order. The current CSSRS reasonably represents within-person suicide risk, but not between-person risk. Scale norms or alternate scoring could facilitate functional equivalence and utility for between- and within-person CSSRS dimensions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian I. Campos ◽  
Laura S. Van Velzen ◽  
Dick J. Veltman ◽  
Elena Pozzi ◽  
Sonia Ambrogi ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveA major limitation of current suicide research is the lack of power to identify robust correlates of suicidal thoughts or behaviour. Variation in suicide risk assessment instruments used across cohorts may represent a limitation to pooling data in international consortia.MethodHere, we examine this issue through two approaches: (i) an extensive literature search on the reliability and concurrent validity of the most commonly used instruments; and (ii) by pooling data (N∼6,000 participants) from cohorts from the ENIGMA-Major Depressive Disorder (ENIGMA-MDD) and ENIGMA-Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviour (ENIGMA-STB) working groups, to assess the concurrent validity of instruments currently used for assessing suicidal thoughts or behaviour.ResultsOur results suggested a pattern of moderate-to-high correlations between instruments, consistent with the wide range of correlations, r=0.22-0.97, reported in the literature. Two common complex instruments, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI), were highly correlated with each other (r=0.83), as were suicidal ideation items from common depression severity questionnaires.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that multi-item instruments provide valuable information on different aspects of suicidal thoughts or behaviour, but share a core factor with single suicidal ideation items found in depression severity questionnaires. Multi-site collaborations including cohorts that used distinct instruments for suicide risk assessment should be feasible provided that they harmonise across instruments or focus on specific constructs of suicidal thoughts or behaviours.Key pointsQuestion: To inform future suicide research in multi-site international consortia, it is important to examine how different suicide measures relate to each other and whether they can be used interchangeably.Findings: Findings suggest detailed instruments (such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation) provide valuable information on suicidal thoughts and behaviour, and share a core factor with items on suicidal ideation from depression severity rating scale (such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale or the Beck Depression Inventory).Importance: Results from international collaborations can mitigate biases by harmonising distinct suicide risk assessment instruments.Next steps: Pooling data within international suicide research consortia may reveal novel clinical, biological and cognitive correlates of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviour.


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