Does a brief suicide prevention gatekeeper training program enhance observed skills?

Background: Suicide is a significant public health problem worldwide that requires evidence-based prevention efforts. One approach to prevention is gatekeeper training. Gatekeeper training programs for community members have demonstrated positive changes in knowledge and attitudes about suicide. Changes in gatekeeper skills have not been well established. Aims: To assess and to predict the impact of a brief, […]

Observational prospective study of social media, smartphone use and self-harm in a clinical sample of young people: Study protocol

Introduction Young people are the most frequent users of social media and smartphones and there has been an increasing speculation about the potential negative impacts of their use on mental health. This has coincided with a sharp increase in the levels of self-harm in young people. To date, studies researching this potential association are predominantly cross-sectional […]

Sex differences in suicide mortality in Newfoundland and Labrador: An observational study with medical examiner data from 1997 to 2016

Background Globally, the suicide rate is two times higher for males than for females. Previous studies in Newfoundland and Labrador did not examine age-specific rates by sex. The objectives of this study were to determine suicide rates by  sex and age group and to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of males and females who […]

Using vocal characteristics to classify psychological distress in adult helpline callers: Retrospective observational study

Background: Elevated psychological distress has demonstrated impacts on individuals’ health. Reliable and efficient ways to detect distress are key to early intervention. Artificial intelligence has the potential to detect states of emotional distress in an accurate, efficient, and timely manner. Objective: The aim of this study was to automatically classify short segments of speech obtained […]

Psychosocial job stressors and risk of suicidal behavior: An observational study among Swedish men

Objective This study aimed to explore the relationship between psychosocial job stressors and suicidal behavior (fatal and non-fatal) among Swedish men while controlling for potential confounders. Methods Population-based Swedish longitudinal cohort study of male conscripts without previous self-harm (N=1 483 310) enlisting 1968–2002. Conscription examinations included measures of IQ, stress resilience and psychiatric diagnoses. Job demand–control (JDC) […]

Constant observation of suicidal patients: The intervention we love to hate

Constant observation (CO) of psychiatric inpatients at risk for suicidal behavior has been criticized in the literature because of the absence of demonstrable effectiveness, associated costs, staff and patient acceptance, and related issues. Our inability to demonstrate effectiveness, however, is an ethical conundrum that cannot readily be solved. Frequent and often vociferous references in the […]