The development of suicide risk in people with severe mental disorders during the first year of the COVID‑19 pandemic: A claims‑based cohort study

Purpose: In this study, we assess how the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the suicide risk of patients with severe mental disorders in Germany. Methods: We analyzed German health insurance claims data to compare the suicide risk of patients with severe mental disorders before and during the pandemic. We included n = 690,845 […]

Suicide rates during and after the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany in 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and of measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus on suicidal behavior has been investigated in different regions of the world, but does not yet allow to draw conclusions for Germany. Especially lockdowns might have effects on suicide rates via impact on mental disorders, changes in the […]

Alive and kicking: Suicide rates and major soccer events in Austria, Germany and Switzerland

Background Major sporting events are postulated to reduce suicide rates by increased social connectedness, by identifying with winning teams, or, conversely, to increase suicide rates by the ‘broken promise effect’. Methods In our observational epidemiological study, we investigated changes in suicide rates between 1970 and 2017 in Austria, Germany and Switzerland during the European and […]

Trends in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in a major German city

Aims: It remains unclear whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having an impact on suicide rates (SR). Economic insecurity and mental disorders are risk factors for suicide, which may increase during the pandemic. Methods: Data on suicide events in a major city in Germany, and the corresponding life years (LY) were provided by […]

Euthanasia distress and fearlessness about death in German veterinarians

Background: The elevated risk of suicide in veterinarians is still not well understood, but euthanasia distress and increased fearlessness about death (FAD) have been discussed as specific risk factors. Aims: We investigated German veterinarians to test whether FAD is increased compared with the general population, whether FAD is associated with euthanasia distress, and whether there are differences between […]

Physical activity, mental and physical health during the Covid‑19 outbreak: Longitudinal predictors of suicide ideation in Germany

Aim: Suicide ideation has increased since the outbreak of Covid-19 in many countries. The present longitudinal study investigated potential predictors of suicide ideation. Subject and methods: Data of 406 participants from Germany (age M = 27.69, SD = 6.88) were assessed via online surveys in spring 2020 (baseline, BL) and in spring 2021 (follow-up, FU). Results: The current results reveal a significant […]

Suicide literacy and suicide stigma: Results of a population survey from Germany

Background: While a growing number of studies analyze the magnitude and predictors of mental health literacy, little is known about suicide-specific knowledge and beliefs (“suicide literacy”). Aims: To examine suicide literacy among the German population and to investigate associations between suicide literacy and suicide stigma. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted in Germany (N = 2002, response rate: 47.3%). The literacy […]

Depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk in German veterinarians compared with the general German population

Background Higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk have been reported for veterinarians in various studies worldwide. This study investigates whether this is also true for German veterinarians. Methods A total of 3.118 veterinarians (78.8 per cent female, mean age 41.3 years) between 22 and 69 years were included and compared with two general population […]

Suicides between 2010 and 2014 in the German Armed Forces: Comparison of suicide registry data and a German Armed Forces survey

Background The last 10 years have seen an increase in the number of suicides in the US Armed Forces. Accordingly, the topic of suicides in the German military has received a lot of attention in media and science alike. Methods This study retrospectively examined all suicides (N = 107) committed by active, nonretired German military personnel from 2010 […]

Prevalence, onset, and course of suicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults in Germany

Objectives  To provide lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of suicidal behavior, including ideation, plan, and attempt, in adolescents and young adults of the general population, and to provide information about age at onset, temporal characteristics of suicidal behavior, including duration (number of years between onset and last occurrence) and frequency (number of episodes), and transition patterns […]

Suicide on Instagram: Content analysis of a German suicide-related hashtag

Background: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally. Unfortunately, the suicide-related content on Instagram, a popular social media platform for youth, has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. Method: The present study provides a content analysis of posts tagged as #selbstmord, a German suicide-related hashtag. These posts were created between July 5 and […]

A comparison of note writers and no note writers in homicide-suicide cases in Germany.

The aim of this study is to investigate potential differences between homicide-suicide cases in which the perpetrator does or does not write a suicide note. As homicide-suicides are complex types of lethal violence for which the aggressor cannot be held accountable, suicide notes may be a valuable source of information about the background of these […]

Prevalence and correlates of self-harm in the German general population.

The study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the German version of the Self- Harm Inventory (SHI) and examining the lifetime prevalence and correlates of self-harm in a representative German population sample (N = 2,507; age mean = 48.79, SD = 18.11; range 14 to 94 years; 55.5% women) using the SHI. All participants […]

Stable time patterns of railway suicides in Germany: Comparative analysis of 7,187 cases across two observation periods (1995-1998; 2005-2008).

The majority of fatalities on the European Union (EU) railways are suicides, representing about 60% of all railway fatalities. The aim of this study was to compare time patterns of suicidal behaviour on railway tracks in Germany between two observation periods (1995Ð1998 and 2005Ð2008) in order to investigate their stability and value in railway suicide […]

Behaviour patterns preceding a railway suicide: Explorative study of German federal police officers’ experiences

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Traumatic events and suicidality in a German adolescent community sample

Exposure to traumatic events has been related to suicide attempts and suicidal ideation in adolescents. This study analyzes the association between suicidality and preceding traumatic life events in 665 German school students with an average age of 14.81 (SD = 0.66). Forty-three (6.5%) students reported suicide attempts and 239 (35.9%) reported suicidal ideation. Adolescents with […]

Particularities of Suicide in the Elderly. A Population-Based Study

A population-based study of elderly suicide was undertaken, including 1008 suicides in Middle Franconia between 2004-2007. Data was analyzed regarding gender, methods, initiating motive, & chronobiological factors at the time of death. Higher rates of suicide were observed in the population at risk over 65 years old, in both genders. There were significant differences regarding […]

Seasonality of Suicide Attempts: Association With Gender

This study analyzed the association of gender with seasonality in suicide attempts by persons living in 2 northern Bavarian regions between 2000-2004. The sample consisted of 2269 attempters (882 males & 1387 females). Overall distribution of attempts different significantly between seasons for women but not for men. Females showed a trough in the spring that […]

5HT-2C Receptor Polymorphism in Suicide Victims: Association Studies in German and Slavic Populations

This study tested the association of the polymorphism in the serotonin 2C (5HT-2C) receptor coding region (Cys23Ser) with deaths by suicide. The study was based on 2 independent samples, one German (284 suicide victims versus 297 controls) & the other of Slavic/Croatian ethnicity (118 suicide victims versus 275 controls). No significant differences in allele or […]

Suicidality in Bipolar Compared to Unipolar Depressed Inpatients

These analyses evaluated differences in suicidality (past suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts at time of admission, & completed suicide during the hospital stay) between bipolar & unipolar depressed inpatients. Apart from a higher frequency of past suicide attempts in bipolar depressed patients, findings do not indicate any further differences in suicidality & completed suicide during the […]

Executive Performance of Depressed Suicide Attempters: the Role of Suicidal Ideation

This study further investigated the role of suicidal thinking for the neuropsychological performance in depressive suicide attempers. Depressive inpatients after a recent suicide attempt, who either had present suicide ideation (14 subjects) or not (15 subjects) & 29 healthy controls were recruited. The groups were assessed by means of executive tasks designed to capture impulsive […]

Proteomic Analysis of the CSF in Unmedicated Patients With Major Depressive Disorder Reveals Alterations in Suicide Attempters

This paper presents the first report on proteomic analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid in unmedicated suicide attempters & non-attempters with major depressive disorder. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that suicide attempters differed from non-attempters in one protein with an approximate molecular weight of 33 kD & an isoelectric point of 5.2. Proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fuild […]

Prospective Long-Term Follow-Up of Depressed Patients With and Without Suicide Attempts

This 4-6 year prospective follow-up study compared 48 reactive depressives with & 24 without suicide attempts before index admission. Both groups showed a favourable course & outcome concerning psychiatric diagnoses, psychopathology, social integration, & social functioning as well as displaying a nearly identical course & outcome. In both groups, 2 patients made suicide attempts during […]