Predictors of inpatient suicide in an Irish psychiatric service, a longitudinal case–control study

Objective Inpatient suicide remains difficult to predict. This study aimed to identify individual patient predictors to help identify those at greater risk. Methods This case–control study was undertaken in an independent mental health service in Ireland. Cases were drawn from all admissions to the service between March 2004 and February 2019. Controls were matched for […]

Machine learning and the prediction of suicide in psychiatric populations: A systematic review

Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a promising tool to enhance suicidal prediction. However, as many large-sample studies mixed psychiatric and non-psychiatric populations, a formal psychiatric diagnosis emerged as a strong predictor of suicidal risk, overshadowing more subtle risk factors specific to distinct populations. To overcome this limitation, we conducted a systematic review of ML […]

Daily prediction of inpatient suicide attempts using routinely collected theory-driven data

We lack knowledge about the short-term predictors of suicide attempts (SAs) among treatment-seeking individuals. The current study evaluated whether (a) interpersonal difficulties, hopelessness, and affective states are associated with an increased risk of SAs on the same and the next day; (b) these daily states are interconnected differently over time among inpatients who attempt suicide […]

Mental health disorders, functioning and health-related quality of life among extensively hospitalized patients due to severe self-harm: Results from the Extreme Challenges project

Background: Severe self-harm leading to extensive hospitalization generates extreme challenges for patients, families, and health services. Controversies regarding diagnoses and health care often follow. Most evidence-based treatments targeting self-harm are designed for borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, current knowledge about mental health status among individuals with severe self-harm is limited. Objectives: To investigate psychopathology among patients extensively […]

Warning signs for suicide attempts in psychiatric inpatients: Patient and informant perspectives

Objective: Warning signs can help prevent suicide attempts and death. It is important to develop an evidence base for warning signs that considers both self-perspectives (i.e., those at risk for suicide) and informant-perspectives (i.e., those who observe individuals at risk for suicide). Methods: A questionnaire assessing a diverse set of 80 potential warning signs (“present in the […]

Estimated average treatment effect of psychiatric hospitalization in patients with suicidal behaviors: A precision treatment analysis

Objectives  To estimate the association of psychiatric hospitalization with subsequent suicidal behaviors using observational data and develop a preliminary predictive analytics individualized treatment rule accounting for heterogeneity in this association across patients. Design, Setting, and Participants  A machine learning analysis of retrospective data was conducted. All veterans presenting with suicidal ideation (SI) or suicide attempt (SA) from […]

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 […]

No benefit of antidepressants in inpatient treatment of depression: A longitudinal, quasi‑experimental field study

Objectives The benefit of the additional use of AD in the inpatient treatment of depression with intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been investigated in a naturalistic design. Methods Depressiveness was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) during a preliminary interview (T0), at admission (T1), at discharge (T2), and at a 6-month follow-up (T3). Two […]

Factors associated with suicide attempt risk in adolescent inpatient psychiatric care: Toward a practical model

Suicide is an important social and medical problem, particularly among children and adolescents. The aim of the study was to determine the association of the psychiatric diagnosis and selected psychosocial factors with the risk of suicide attempts among patients of an adolescent psychiatric unit. A retrospective analysis was performed on a database of consecutive N = 1311 patients […]

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. […]

In eating-disordered inpatient adolescents, self-criticism predicts nonsuicidal self-injury

We examined the role of depressive traits-self-criticism and dependency-in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal ideation among inpatient adolescents with eating disorders. In two studies (N = 103 and 55), inpatients were assessed for depressive traits, suicidal ideations, and NSSI. In Study 2, motivation for carrying out NSSI was also assessed. In both studies, depression predicted […]

Predictors of suicidality among patients with psychotic disorders in a partial hospital treatment program

Individuals with psychotic disorders are at increased risk for suicidality. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared in individuals with psychotic disorders reporting either high or low suicidality. Among this sample of 259 partial hospital patients, 116 (44.8%) were classified as high risk on the suicidality section of the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview, and 143 (55.2%) were […]

A tertiary care hospital in northern India: A study of psychiatric morbidity in patients presented with attempted suicide

Suicide is a serious global public health concern that impacts people everywhere. Every year, it causes close to a million fatalities. Knowing the events that result in a suicidal attempt may help in the development  of suicide prevention techniques because a past suicidal attempt is the best indicator of a future suicide. One of the […]

Increased suicide risk of psychiatric patients following the recent utilization of health care services: Results from a nationwide cohort study in South Korea

Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether and to what degree the suicide risk of psychiatric patients is associated with psychiatric and non-psychiatric health service utilization. Methods: We selected incident psychiatric patients, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, borderline personality disorder, depressive disorders, other affective disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder patients, in 2007–2010 and followed them up until 2017 […]

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Background: Given low base rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in national samples of adolescents, clarifying the sociodemographic and clinical correlates among psychiatric inpatients may afford insights into potential risk factors that predict STBs onset. Method: Adolescents (N = 970; ages 12-19 years) admitted for acute, psychiatric inpatient care completed baseline clinical interviews and self-report measures assessing […]

Presence and persistence of sleep-related symptoms and suicidal ideation in psychiatric inpatients

Background: Although sleep is an important risk factor for suicidal behavior, research has yet to examine the association between sleep problems and suicidality across the course of inpatient treatment. This study examined the relationship among sleep-related symptoms and suicidal ideation across inpatient treatment. Aims: To examine whether poor sleep at admission longitudinally predicts less improvement in suicidal ideation […]

Ligature points and ligature types used by psychiatric inpatients who die by hanging: A national study

Background: Approximately three-quarters of patients who die by suicide on psychiatric wards do so by hanging/strangulation. Increased awareness of the methods used by these patients may benefit prevention strategies in mental health services. Aims: To describe the ligature points and ligatures used in ward hangings; to identify any trends over time in ligature points and ligatures used; and […]

Hospital inpatient suicides: A retrospective comparison between psychiatric and non-psychiatric inpatients in Milan healthcare facilities

Introduction Inpatient suicide in hospitals is a worrying phenomenon that has received little attention. This study retrospectively explored the socio-demographic, clinical, and suicide-related characteristics of hospital inpatient suicides in Milan, Italy, which were collected at the Institute of Forensic Medicine during a twenty-eight-year period (1993–2020). In particular, this study compared the features of hospital inpatient […]

Frequency and correlates of lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among consecutively hospitalized youth with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: Results from a retrospective chart review

Background Youth with eating disorders (EDs) face an increased risk of a premature suicide death. Precursors of completed suicide are suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, which need to be well understood to prevent suicide. However, epidemiological data on the lifetime prevalence and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts (i.e., “suicidality”) are lacking for […]

Eating disorders in sexual minority adolescents and young adults: Examining clinical characteristics and psychiatric co‑morbidities in an inpatient medical setting

Background Sexual minority adolescents and young adults are at higher risk of eating disorders compared to heterosexual peers. However, little is known about the clinical and psychiatric presentation of this population requiring inpatient medical stabilization. Given the increased risk for eating disorder behaviors in sexual minority individuals amidst increased rates of medical hospitalizations secondary to […]

Gender dysphoria in pediatric and transitional-aged youth hospitalized for suicidal behaviors: A cross-national inpatient study

Objective: Our study aims to demarcate the sociodemographic differences in pediatric patients hospitalized for suicidal behaviors and struggling with gender dysphoria. Additionally, we evaluated the demographic factors and comorbidities that are predictive of gender dysphoria in patients with suicidal behaviors. Methods: We included 319,430 patients (aged 6–24 years) with suicidal behaviors and a primary psychiatric diagnosis (per ICD-10 criteria) […]

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 […]

Evaluating potential iatrogenic effects of a suicide-focused research protocol

Background: Concerns regarding the potential iatrogenic effects of suicide assessment have long impeded suicide research. Aims: We sought to examine the effects of an intensive, suicide-focused assessment protocol on mood, suicidality, and urges to harm oneself or others. Method: Participants were adults admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit for recent suicidal ideation or behavior, or reasons unrelated to suicide. Our […]