Suicidal ideation in patients experiencing a first-episode psychosis: Findings from the 2-year follow-up of the “Parma Early Psychosis” program

Objective Although suicide behavior is relevant in first-episode psychosis (FEP), little is known about suicidal ideation and its longitudinal stability. The aim of this study was (1) to assess incidence rates of suicide attempts, completed suicide, and suicidal thinking in FEP individuals at baseline and over a 24-month follow-up period; (2) to explore any significant […]

Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder and their impact on the illness: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Lifetime psychotic symptoms are present in over half of the patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and can have an adverse effect on its course, outcome, and treatment. However, despite a considerable amount of research, the impact of psychotic symptoms on BD remains unclear, and there are very few systematic reviews on the subject. AIM […]

Suicidal thinking and behavior in first episode schizophrenia: Findings from the 24-month follow-up of the “Parma Early Psychosis” program

Although suicide risk is relevant in First Episode Schizophrenia (FES), little data are reported on suicidal ideation and its longitudinal stability. Aim of this study was: (1) to evaluate incidence rates of suicide attempts, completed suicide and suicidal thinking in FES patients at baseline and along a 24-month follow-up period, (2) to investigate any relevant […]

Emotional abuse and perceived stress: The most relevant factors in suicide behavior in first-episode psychosis patients

People with a mental disorder have a higher risk of suicidal behavior. Little research has examined the role of childhood trauma in suicide behavior, and even fewer studies have assessed the specific relevance of subtypes of childhood trauma and suicidal behavior in first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aims of the present study were: 1) to compare […]

COVID‑19 lockdown – who cares? The first lockdown from the perspective of relatives of people with severe mental illness

Background Informal care is vital to many people with severe mental illness under normal circumstances. Little is known about how extraordinary circumstances affect relatives with a family member with mental illness. This study investigated the consequences of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Norway from the perspective of relatives of persons with psychotic- and/or bipolar disorders: […]

Mental health provider perspectives of the COVID‑19 pandemic impact on service delivery: A focus on challenges in remote engagement, suicide risk assessment, and treatment of psychosis

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting the need, utilization, and delivery of mental health services with greater challenges being faced by clients and providers. With many clients facing reduced access to services and social isolation, a focus on suicide risk assessment and prevention is critical. Concern is particularly increased for clients with schizophrenia spectrum […]

Modifying a cognitive behavioral suicide prevention treatment for adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in community mental health

Suicide is among the leading causes of death for adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Given a paucity of evidence-based interventions tailored for psychosis, we sought to modify a promising Cognitive-Behavioral Suicide Prevention for psychosis (CBSPp) treatment for adults in US community mental health (CMH) settings using community-based participatory research methods. This article presents our modification […]

Relationship between social cognition, general cognition, and risk for suicide in individuals with a psychotic disorder

Objective Cognitive alterations putatively contribute to the risk for suicide in individuals with psychosis. Yet, a comprehensive assessment of social- and general-cognitive abilities in a large sample is lacking. Methods Seven-hundred-fifteen individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder performed tasks of facial emotion recognition, Theory of Mind, and general cognitive functioning (sustained attention, set-shifting, IQ-tests and verbal learning) as […]

Clinical insight and cognitive functioning as mediators in the relationships between symptoms of psychosis, depression, and suicide ideation in first-episode psychosis

First-episode psychosis (FEP) is a particularly high-risk period for suicide. Literature suggests poor cognitive functioning may serve as a protective factor, while investigations of clinical insight reveal a complex relationship with suicide outcomes. This study examined the mediating role of cognition and clinical insight in the relationships between positive and negative symptoms, depression, and subsequent […]

Suicide and psychosis: Results from a population-based cohort of suicide death (N=4380)

Approximately 5% of individuals with schizophrenia die from suicide. However, suicide in psychosis is still poorly characterized, partly due to a lack of adequate population-based clinical or genetic data on suicide death. The Utah Suicide Genetics Research Study (USGRS) provides a large population-based cohort of suicide deaths with medical record and genome-wide data (N = 4380). […]

A systematic review of longitudinal studies of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in first-episode psychosis: Course and associated factors

Purposes To better assess and reduce suicidal risk in first-episode psychosis (FEP), we aimed to investigate the evolution of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and associated factors in FEP. Method This systematic review (PROSPERO-CRD42020168050) meets PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, EBM Reviews and references lists of relevant articles were searched (February 2020) to identify […]

A systematic review of suicide and suicide attempts in adolescents with psychotic disorders

Background Suicide is the main cause of premature death in patients with psychosis. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to review suicide in adolescents with psychotic disorders by evaluating factors associated with suicidal acts. Ours is the first systematic review of suicide in this population. Method We performed a systematic review of suicide in adolescents (10 to […]

A brief mobile-augmented suicide prevention intervention for people with psychotic disorders in transition from acute to ongoing care: Protocol for a pilot trial

Background: People with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) are at exceptionally high risk for lifetime suicidal ideation and behavior compared with the general population. The transition period between urgent evaluation and ongoing care could provide an important setting for brief suicide-specific interventions for SMIs. To address this concern, this trial, SafeTy and Recovery Therapy (START), involves a […]

Psychotic experiences and suicidal behavior: Testing the influence of psycho-socioenvironmental factors

Purpose Research has produced inconsistent results with respect to whether the association between psychotic experiences and suicidal behavior is independent of co-occurring clinical and socioenvironmental factors, despite substantial evidence linking the two phenomena. This study tests whether a comprehensive set of demographic, socioenvironmental, and clinical variables account for the statistical association between psychotic experiences and […]

Systematic review of the inclusion of people with psychosis in suicide-specific clinical trials

Background: Psychosis is a significant, yet understudied, risk factor for suicide. There has yet to be a systematic investigation examining the rate and predictors of inclusion of psychotic disorders or symptoms in suicide-focused trials. Aim: Our aim was to conduct a systematic review of inclusion/exclusion of psychosis in studies with suicidal ideation or behavior as […]

A case report of suicide attempt caused by acute and transient psychotic disorder during the COVID-19 outbreak

We reported a case of suicide attempt caused by acute and transient psychotic disorder during the COVID-19 outbreak, which broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan. An epidemic of infectious diseases brought great psychological pressure to the public. During this period, a 20-year-old man went to the hospital repeatedly because he suspected that he was […]

Adding suicide prevention to the triple advantages of injectable long-acting second-generation antipsychotics.

With the advent of new treatment perspectives for schizophrenic patients, long-acting injectable antipsychotics promise to provide relapse prevention, neuroprotection, and lower mortality rates (1). In preliminary studies, scholars have also indicated that such treatments could play a central role in suicide prevention in patients (2, 3) for whom suicide is the most likely cause of […]

Suicidal thinking and behavior in adolescents at ultra-high risk of psychosis: A two-year longitudinal study

Objective Suicide risk in subjects at Ultra‐High Risk of psychosis (UHR) has been rarely assessed in adolescence, but it is of obvious importance for prognostic and clinical care reasons. In this study, we aimed to prospectively assess suicide risk and behaviors in UHR adolescents. Method We examined 112 help‐seeking adolescents (13–18 years, 50% males, 83.9% Caucasian) […]

Screening for suicide risk among youths with a psychotic disorder in a pediatric emergency department

National Patient Safety Goal 15.01.01 requires all Joint Commission–accredited organizations to screen patients treated for behavioral health conditions for suicide risk. However, little is known about the ability of screening tools to identify suicide risk among youths with psychotic disorders. As part of this quality improvement initiative, youths in a pediatric emergency department with psychotic […]

Psychotic experiences and suicidal outcomes in a general population sample

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are associated with suicidal ideation and attempts. However, studies examining the role of potential psychosocial confounders in these associations have yielded variable and inconclusive results. In the current study, data from 974 participants in a general population sample were analyzed. We fitted four regression models to examine the associations between PEs vs. […]

Suicidal behavior and personality traits contribute to disability in first-episode psychosis: A 1-year follow-up study

Objective The main aim of this study was to analyze the potential relationship between suicidal behavior after first episode of psychosis (FEP) and family disability. The second aim was to find out whether personality traits are associated with disability dimensions. Method The study sample was composed of 65 FEP patients. The personal care, occupational, family, […]

Insomnia and suicidal ideation in nonaffective psychosis

Study Objectives Insomnia is a common symptom in the clinical course of schizophrenia. There is a robust association between insomnia and suicidality in other psychiatric disorders. Two previous studies found associations between insomnia and suicide attempt or completed suicide in patients with schizophrenia. We hypothesized that greater insomnia would be associated with greater levels of […]

Suicidal ideation in first-episode psychosis (FEP): Examination of symptoms of depression and psychosis among individuals in an early phase of treatment

First‐episode psychosis (FEP) is a particularly high‐risk period for suicide, in which risk elevates by 60% within a first year of treatment as compared to later stages of illness. To date, much of the literature has focused on individuals with a longer duration of psychosis; thus, there is an urgency for research to examine suicide […]