Suicide-preventive compulsory admission is not a proportionate measure: Time for clinicians to recognise the associated risks

Suicide is considered a global public health issue and compulsory admission is a commonly used measure to prevent suicide. However, the practice has been criticised since several studies indicate that the measure lacks empirical support and may even increase suicide risk. This paper investigates whether the practice has enough empirical support to be considered proportionate. […]

Evaluating the prevalence of four recommended practices for suicide prevention following hospital discharge

Background The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) for suicide prevention (NPSG.15.01.01) requires that accredited hospitals maintain policies/procedures for follow-up care at discharge for patients identified as at risk for suicide. The proportion of hospitals meeting these requirements through use of recommended discharge practices is unknown. Methods This cross-sectional observational study explored the prevalence […]

Application of machine learning techniques to help in the feature selection related to hospital readmissions of suicidal behavior

Suicide was the main source of death from external causes in Spain in 2020, with 3,941 cases. The importance of identifying those mental disorders that influenced hospital readmissions will allow us to manage the health care of suicidal behavior. The feature selection of each hospital in this region was carried out by applying Machine learning […]

Variations in suicide risk and risk factors after hospitalization for depression in Finland, 1996-2017

Importance: Although incidence of suicide in depression varies remarkably temporally, risk factors have been modeled as constant and remain uncharted in the short term. How effectively factors measured at one point in time predict risk at different time points is unknown. Objective: To examine the absolute risk and risk factors for suicide in hospitalized patients with depression […]

Receiving a gift and feeling robbed: A phenomenological study on parents’ experiences of Brief Admissions for teenagers who self-harm at risk for suicide

Background: Brief Admission by self-referral is a preventive intervention here intended for individuals who recurrently self-harm and have a history of contact with emergency psychiatric services. Individuals with access to Brief Admission are empowered to self-admit to inpatient care for up to three days per stay and are encouraged to do so before experiencing crisis. Brief […]

Follow-up timing after discharge and suicide risk among patients hospitalized with psychiatric illness

Importance  Although early outpatient follow-up after psychiatric inpatient discharge may prevent suicide, the association between early follow-up care and a reduced risk of suicide after discharge has not been fully explored. Objectives  To investigate outpatient follow-up care after psychiatric inpatient discharge and determine whether the timing of the first outpatient follow-up is associated with a reduced risk […]

Risk for suicidal behavior after psychiatric hospitalization among sexual and gender minority patients

Abstract Importance  The months following inpatient psychiatric hospitalization are a period of high risk for suicidal behavior. Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals have elevated risk for suicidal behavior, but no prior research has examined whether SGM inpatients have disproportionate risk for suicidal behavior following discharge from psychiatric hospitalization. Objectives  To evaluate whether SGM patients have elevated […]

How does active substance use at psychiatric admission impact suicide risk and hospital length of stay?

Background/Objective: Despite their high prevalence, little is known about the effects of substance use disorders (SUD) and active substance use on the suicide risk or length of stay (LOS) of psychiatric inpatients. This study examines the relationship between active substance use at the time of psychiatric hospitalization and changes in suicide risk measures and LOS. […]

Provision of a multidisciplinary post-suicidal, community-based aftercare program: A longitudinal study

Suicide is a global concern with rates in Australia continuing to increase. Effective post-suicidal care is critical for reducing persistent suicidal behaviour. One model of care is that adopted by Alfred Health, delivering a multidisciplinary, hybrid clinical and non-clinical (psycho-social support), assertive outreach approach. This study measured improvements in resilience and wellbeing, changes to distress […]

Correlation between the implementation of Psychosocial Care Centers and the rates of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide in Porto Alegre-RS from 2008 to 2018

Introduction: The Brazilian psychiatric reform has revolutionized the way that mental health care is provided throughout the country, introducing the Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) and encouraging care in freedom. The CAPS have a lot of objectives, such as the prevention of hospitalizations and crisis or suicide intervention. This paper aims to describe the correlation between the […]

“When you’re in the hospital, you’re in a sort of bubble.” Understanding the high risk of self-harm and suicide following psychiatric discharge: A qualitative study

Background: Individuals are at a greatly increased risk of suicide and self-harm in the months following discharge from psychiatric hospital, yet little is known about the reasons for this. Aims: To investigate the lived experience of psychiatric discharge and explore service users’ experiences following discharge. Method: In-depth interviews were undertaken with recently discharged service users (n = 10) […]

Psychiatric patient disposition agreement between the emergency physician and the psychiatry consultant

Background: Mental illness is prevalent, disabling, and costly. Emergency department (ED) visits for mental health-related reasons are on the increase. Aims: Determine the level of agreement between emergency physicians and psychiatrists regarding psychiatric patient disposition. Method: We conducted a prospective, observational study at a private university hospital ED from October 2008-April 2009 using a convenience sample of patients […]

Can postdischarge follow-up contacts prevent suicide and suicidal behavior? A review of the evidence

Background: The time period following discharge from inpatient psychiatry and emergency department (ED) treatment is one of heightened risk for repeat suicide attempts for patients. Evidence reported in the literature shows that follow-up contacts might reduce suicide risk, although there has not been a comprehensive and critical review of the evidence to date. Aims: To evaluate evidence […]

Understanding the risks of recent discharge: The phenomenological experiences trying to survive while living under the proverbial “Sword of Damocles”

Background: Evidence indicates that people whose mental health problems lead them to require psychiatric hospitalization are at a significantly increased risk of suicide, and the period of time immediately following discharge after such hospitalizations appears to be a particularly high-risk time. Aims: This paper reports on phenomenological findings from a federally funded, mixed-methods study that sought to better […]

Understanding the risks of recent discharge: The phenomenological lived experiences – “Existential angst at the prospect of discharge”

Background: Evidence indicates that people whose mental health problems lead them to require psychiatric hospitalization are at a significantly increased risk of suicide, and that the time immediately following discharge after such hospitalizations is a particularly high-risk time. Aims: This paper reports on phenomenological findings from a federally funded, mixed-methods study that sought to better understand the observed […]

The role of suicide risk in the decision for psychiatric hospitalization after a suicide attempt

Background: Suicide prevention can be improved by knowing which variables physicians take into account when considering hospitalization or discharge of patients who have attempted suicide. Aims: To test whether suicide risk is an adequate explanatory variable for predicting admission to a psychiatric unit after a suicide attempt. Methods: Analyses of 840 clinical records of patients who had attempted […]

Caring transitions: A care coordination intervention to reduce suicide risk among youth discharged from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization

Background: Suicide risk following youth psychiatric hospitalization is of significant concern. This study evaluated Linking Individuals Needing Care (LINC), a theory-driven, comprehensive care coordination approach for youth discharged from crisis services. Aims: To pilot LINC’s potential effectiveness in increasing service utilization and decreasing suicide risk. Method: Participants were 460 youth patients who received LINC for approximately 90 days following discharge […]

Argyrophilic grain disease is common in older adults and may be a risk factor for suicide: A study of Japanese forensic autopsy cases

Background Neuropathological diagnosis of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is currently based primarily on the combination of argyrophilic grain (AG) visualized using Gallyas–Braak silver staining, phosphorylated tau-positive pretangles, coiled bodies, and ballooned neuron detection. Although AGD is common in patients with dementia and/or prominent psychiatric symptoms, whether it is a distinct neurological disease entity or a […]

Time of self‑harm presentations to hospital emergency departments: A scoping review

Background The time at which a self-harm presentation occurs has been shown to be a significant factor as to whether a patient receives a psychiatric assessment or not, which may benefit the patient’s future care. This scoping review sought to identify studies that report on the peak time of day for self-harm presentations to hospital […]

Post-discharge suicide among high-risk psychiatric inpatients: Risk factors and warnings signs

Background The present study explored the predictive value of a novel suicide risk assessment with regard to suicide deaths within three years of discharge from an acute inpatient unit. The contributions of the different components of the assessment to overall determination of suicide risk were also explored. Methods A total of 380 acute psychiatric inpatients […]

Perceived coercion during admission into psychiatric hospitalization increases risk of suicide attempts after discharge

Objective There is an elevated risk for suicide in the year following psychiatric hospitalization. The present study examined whether perceived coercion during admission into psychiatric hospitalization increases risk for postdischarge suicide attempts. Methods Participants were 905 psychiatric inpatients from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study that were assessed every 10 weeks during the year following discharge. […]

Brief cognitive-based psychosocial intervention and case management for suicide attempters discharged from the emergency department in Taipei, Taiwan: A randomized controlled study

Objective We examined the effectiveness of brief cognitive-based psychotherapy plus standard case management in the prevention of further suicide attempts, clinical severity, and treatment adherence in a randomized clinical trial compared with standard case management. Method Among five hundred and ninety-seven patients presenting with suicide attempts, 147 participants were included. They were randomized into two […]

Substance use-related suicide after release from correctional, behavioral health, and healthcare facilities using national violent death reporting system data

Introduction Suicide and substance use are prevalent problems among persons discharged from facilities. This study (1) articulated rates of substance-related suicide deaths among those discharged correctional, behavioral health, and healthcare facilities, and (2) identified factors associated with substance-related suicide deaths unique to, or generalizing across, facility discharge. Methods We used data from the National Violent […]