Resource Tag: BIOMEDICAL ILLNESSES

Using survey methods, the authors evaluated self-reported rates of depression, suicide ideation, & suicide attempts in 30 male & 37 female black patients with sickle cell disease. 36% of the sample reported depression in the past 30 days while 22% of the sample exhibited scores on the Beck Depression Inventory indicative of mild or greater […]

This case-control study examined cognitive function in general & executive functioning specifically in depressed elderly with & without suicide ideation & attempts. 32 suicidal depressed participants age 60 & older were compared with 32 non-suicidal depressed participants. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of severity of depression & burden of physical illness. Suicidal participants […]

A series of 44 consecutive elderly Greek patients admitted to hospital after deliberate self-poisoning was reviewed for associated medical & psychosocial factors. In all but 3 cases, the overdose involved prescribed drugs. Women outnumbered men 2.7 to 1. There was a high proportion of chronic psychiatric & medical conditions. Chronic stress from physical illness, social […]

This study examined the role of cerebrovascular risk factors in late-life suicide. The authors calculated a cerebrovascular risk factor score for each case & comparison subject from a psychological autopsy study of suicide among community-dwelling adults over age 50 years. Scores were significantly higher in suicide cases than community-dwelling comparison subjects after accounting for age, […]

This chapter explores the frequency of representations of artist suicide in the cinema, whether some subtypes of artists are portrayed more often, & whether internal motives for artist suicides are more likely to be portrayed than for suicides of other occupations. The second section of the chapter qualitatively assesses 5 apparent patterns in the presentation […]

This cross-sectional study evaluated the role of several variables hypothesized in prior research to be associated with suicide in older adults. A psychological autopsy study of 99 elderly suicide victims, age 65 & older, in the province of Parma & Piacenza who died between 1994-2004 was done. 134 younger suicide victims (younger adults, aged less […]

The authors retrospectively evaluated 106 patients diagnosed with major affective disorders. 53 patients with at least one suicide attempt were matched on a group basis with 53 patients who had never attempted suicide. In bivariate comparisons, suicidal patients were more likely to have been treated with antipsychotic & anxiolytic drugs, less likely to be married, […]

This study examined the association between suicide ideation & intentions to seek help from a general practitioner for suicidal thoughts, emotional problems, & physical health problems, using a sample of 590 Australian high school students. Higher levels of suicide ideation & general psychological distress were related to lower intentions to seek help for suicidal & […]

This study tested illness, suicidality, & substance use as outome measures in a path analysis of 1028 Swiss adolescents in secondary prevention programs. The model showed that negative mood (depression & anxiety) predicted two paths. One path led from negative mood to suicidality & from there to substance use. The other path led directly from […]

In this letter to the editor, the author comments on a previous article on reducing suicide ideation & depression in older primary care patients. She suggests the consideration of additional suicide risk factors among the elderly could increase the effectiveness of treatment. Enhanced medical & social support as well as pain management could be added […]

This article discusses recently published research in other journals including a study on suicide-related events in patients treated with antiepileptic drugs. The study found that current use of antiepileptic drugs was not associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviours among patients with epilepsy but did increase risk among patients who received these drugs & […]

This study examined whether a history of hyperthyroidism implies an increased risk of suicide. A historic cohort study of 43,633 patients treated with radioiodine or surgery between 1950-2005 was done. Two comparison cohorts consisted of 44,921 patients with an operation for atoxic nodular goitre between 1964-2005 & 354,861 patients with a cholecystectomy between 1965-2001. The […]

The overall mortality & causes of death were examined in a large cohort of users of illicit drugs in Stockholm over 37 years. 860 of 1705 identified substance abusers died at an average age of 47 yers, 25-30 years younger than the general population. The standardised rate ratio for mortality was 3.3 among men & […]

The density of 5-HT1A binding using 3H-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propyl-amino) tetralin as binding ligand was studied in human frontal cortex of suicide victims & normal controls who died due to medical disease or accidents. There was no difference in the maximum number of binding site (Bmax) or Kd (an inverse measure of affinity) of 5-HT1A receptor binding sites […]

The incidence & circumstances were examined for all suicides during 1996-2002 reported to Mie Prefectural Police Headquarters. On average, there were 421 suicides per year. The most frequent month for suicides was July. Suicide was most common in the 50-59-year age group in men & in the 70-79-year age group in women. Psychiatric disorders were […]

In a retrospective study of data from coroners’ files on domestic homicides involving individuals killed by an older spouse or family member over a 15-year period in Quebec, several specific offender & victim characteristics, & circumstances were identified. The homicide was frequently followed by the suicide of the perpetrator. Several victims had pre-existing medical illnesses. […]

The effects of bereavement 21 months after a parent’s death were examined in 176 offspring, ages 7-25, whose parent died by suicide, accident, or sudden natural death. They were assessed 9 & 21 months after the death, along with 168 nonbereaved subjects. Major depression & alcohol or substance abuse 21 months later were more common […]

406 hospitalised patients with affective disorders were followed prospectively for 22 years or more. Later, mortality was assessed for 99% of them at which time 76% had died. Standardised mortality ratios were elevated expecially for suicide & circulatory disorders in both men & women. Women actually had higher suicide rates but that did not take […]

This essay chronicles the impact of a patient’s suicide on the therapist, reflecting on the initial trauma, the therapists’s repeated attempts to deal with the loss, & her ultimate physical collapse. Time off from work began the healing of physical symptoms, & the spontaneous writing & immediate sharing of her raw & unformulated feelings with […]

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The independent association of physical illness & functional limitations with suicide mortality risk was assessed. The Cox proportional hazards model was used with data from the 1986-1994 National Health Interview Survey linked to the 1986-1997 National Death Index to analyze the effects of chronic physical illness & functional limitations on suicide. After controlling for potential […]

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Logistic regression analyses were conducted to study depression & suicide ideation among 23,405 respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey 2000-2001 who reported they had been diagnosed with arthritis or rheumatism. One in 10 Canadians with arthritis had clinically relevant levels of major depression. Age- & sex-adjusted odds ratio of major depression & suicide ideation […]