Healthcare utilization 12 months prior to fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour in Cape Town, South Africa

The purpose of this study was to characterize healthcare use for general care and mental health one year before suicidal behavior among individuals with fatal and non-fatal suicidal behavior (NFSB) in Cape Town, South Africa. We linked electronic health records of 484 participants from a case series of 93 completed suicides on whom forensic autopsies […]

Healthcare access experiences and needs among LBQ women, trans, and nonbinary people in Canada: A research report

What priorities for health and healthcare access do women, trans, and nonbinary people who are lesbian, bi+, or queer (LBQ) in Canada have? What actions can be taken across sectors to address these priorities? Egale’s research report “Healthcare access experiences and needs among LBQ women, trans, and nonbinary people in Canada: A research report” explores these questions, […]

“Male suicide and barriers to accessing professional support: A qualitative thematic analysis”

Male suicide rates represent a public health crisis. In almost every country, more men die by suicide than women and suicide is a leading cause of death for men in the United States and the United Kingdom. Evidence suggests that men are less likely than women to access professional support for suicidal distress. Ensuring more […]

Understanding people’s experiences of the formal health and social care system for co-occurring heavy alcohol use and depression through the lens of relational autonomy: A qualitative study

Background and aims: Heavy alcohol use and depression commonly co-occur. However, health and social care services rarely provide coordinated support for these conditions. Using relational autonomy, which recognizes how social and economic contexts and relational support alter people’s capacity for agency, this study aimed to (1) explore how people experience formal care provision for co-occurring alcohol […]

Mental disorders and access to mental health care

Using data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, this article provides updated prevalence estimates for some of the most common mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. These results are compared to those from the previous 2012 and 2002  Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health cycles. The 2022 […]

Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: A cross‑sectional, population‑based study

Background Sexual and gender minority populations experience elevated risks for suicidality. This study aimed to assess prevalence and disparities in non-fatal suicidality and potential protective factors related to social support and health care access among sexual and gender minority youth and adults and their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts in Canada. The second objective was to […]

A multidimensional approach for differentiating the clinical needs of young people presenting for primary mental health care

Objectives There is an ongoing necessity to match clinical interventions with the multidimensional needs of young people. A key step toward better service planning and the design of optimal models of care is to use multidimensional assessment to understand the clinical needs of those presenting to primary mental health care. Methods 1284 people aged 12–25 years presenting to […]

Healthcare utilization 12 months prior to fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour in Cape Town, South Africa

The purpose of this study was to characterize healthcare use for general care and mental health one year before suicidal behavior among individuals with fatal and non-fatal suicidal behavior (NFSB) in Cape Town, South Africa. We linked electronic health records of 484 participants from a case series of 93 completed suicides on whom forensic autopsies […]

From court to the community: Improving access to evidence-based treatment for underserved youth involved in the juvenile legal system at-risk for suicide

Background Juvenile legal involved youth (JLIY) experience disproportionately high rates of suicidal and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SSITB). Many JLIY lack access to evidence-based treatment specifically designed to treat SSITB, thereby increasing the overall risk of suicide. The overwhelming majority of JLIY are not placed in secure facilities and almost all incarcerated youth are eventually […]

Differential spatial-social accessibility to mental health care and suicide

In recent years, the United States has been experiencing historically high suicide rates. In the face of mental health care provider shortages that leave millions needing to travel longer to find providers with schedule openings, if any are available at all, the inaccessibility of mental health care has become increasingly central in explaining suicidality. To […]

The relationship between rurality, travel time to care and death by suicide

Background We previously found an association between rurality and death by suicide, where those living in rural areas were more likely to die by suicide. One potential reason why this relationship exists might be travel time to care. This paper examines the relationship between travel time to both psychiatric and general hospitals and suicide, and […]

Differential spatial-social accessibility to mental health care and suicide

In recent years, the United States has been experiencing historically high suicide rates. In the face of mental health care provider shortages that leave millions needing to travel longer to find providers with schedule openings, if any are available at all, the inaccessibility of mental health care has become increasingly central in explaining suicidality. To […]

Breaking down barriers to a suicide prevention helpline: Protocol for a web-based randomized controlled trial

Background: Globally, suicide is among the leading causes of death, with men being more at risk to die from suicide than women. Research suggests that people with suicidal ideation often struggle to find adequate help. Every month, around 4000 people fill in the anonymous self-test for suicidal thoughts on the website of the Dutch suicide […]

Global migration: Moral, political and mental health challenges

Global migration is expected to continue to increase as climate change, conflict and economic disparities continue to challenge peoples’ lives. The political response to migration is a social determinant of mental health. Despite the potential benefits of migration, many migrants and refugees face significant challenges after they resettle. The papers collected in this thematic issue […]

Use of Medicare Benefit Scheme mental health services in young people who experienced self-harm and/or suicidal behaviours: Data from the Young Minds Matter survey

Objectives: To examine healthcare utilisation patterns in a sample of young people with self-reported experiences of self-harm and/or suicidal behaviours. Methods: A national survey examining mental health in a nationally representative sample of young Australians aged 12–17 years, linked to routinely collected healthcare and dispensing data. For respondents that self-reported  experience of self-harm, suicidal ideation, […]

Racial and ethnic differences in deaths by suicide, drug overdose, and opioid-related overdose in a national sample of military members with mild traumatic brain injury, 1999-

Objective: To examine racial and ethnic differences in suicide and drug and opioid-related overdose deaths among a population-based cohort of military service members who were diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) during military service. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Military personnel receiving care within the Military Health System between 1999 and 2019. Participants: In total, 356 […]

Association between state-level access to reproductive care and suicide rates among women of reproductive age in the United States

Importance  Many states in the United States enforce restrictions to reproductive care, with access to abortion remaining a highly divisive issue. Denial of abortion is linked with heightened stress and anxiety among reproductive-aged women. However, no studies have tested whether access to reproductive care is linked to suicide. Objective  To evaluate whether state-level restrictions in access to […]

Health care disparities for incarcerated adults after a suicide attempt

Objective Incarcerated adults have high rates of fatal and nonfatal suicidal behaviors. Suicide prevention recommendations stress the need for the provision of health care for incarcerated adults after suicide attempts, yet prison policies and practices often focus instead on punitive responses to suicidal behaviors. Existing research is limited regarding factors that predict the provision of […]

Injury characteristics and circumstances of firearm trauma: Assessing suicide survivors and decedents

Introduction Despite representing fewer than 5% of suicide attempts, firearms account for over half of deaths. Yet there is little clinical information regarding firearm attempts, particularly survivors. We assessed clinical factors differentiating firearm suicide survivors from decedents, firearm attempters from other methods, and firearm attempters from similarly injured trauma patients. Methods We used clinical data […]

Health diagnoses and service utilization in the year before youth and young adult suicide

Objective: Suicide rates among young people are rising. Health care visits provide opportunities for identification and intervention, yet studies have been limited by small or circumscribed samples. This study sought to expand the knowledge base by examining health care encounters and diagnoses among young people who later died by suicide. Methods: This case-control study examined […]

Syndemic relationship of depressive symptoms, substance use, and suicidality in transgender youth: A cross‑sectional study using the U.S. youth risk behavior surveillance system

Purpose Syndemics are co-occurring epidemics that cluster within populations due to shared socio-structural factors and are often in populations with intersecting forms of vulnerability. Suicide, depression, and substance use all disproportionately affect transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth. In this study, we test a syndemic model of the relationship between these three mental health conditions […]

When health services are powerless to prevent suicide: Results from a linkage study of suicide among men with no service contact in the year prior to death

Aims: To investigate cases of suicide in which there was no healthcare contact, by looking at history of help-seeking and evidence of previous mental health vulnerability. To identify any life events associated with suicide for which individuals did not seek help. Background: Previous research has suggested that non-consultation is the main barrier to suicide prevention among men. […]

Suicide risk profiles and barriers to professional help-seeking among college students with elevated risk for suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, yet many students with elevated suicide risk do not seek professional help. This study identified suicide risk profiles among college students and examined these in relation to students’ perceived barriers to professional help-seeking. Data were obtained from college students (n = 1689) identified to be at […]