Resource Tag: UNITED STATES. PENNSYLVANIA

This research proposal involves clinical evaluation of suicided youths & control subjects aged 5-25. The research will be conducted by cross referencing the Philadelphia Collaborative Perinatal Project database with the Pennsylvania Death Index to form a sample of 79 subjects. Psychological autopsies will be conducted to create a prototypical case for each of 3 groups: […]

This study evaluated & extended a stress-vulnerability model of suicidal behaviour among college students proposed by Bonner & Rich (1987). 613 high school students completed self-report measures of life stress, depression, hopelessness, reasons for living, loneliness, substance use & suicidal ideation. 4 variables emerged as significant predictors of suicidal ideation: depression, hopelessness, few reasons for […]

Research done by Brent et al (1991) on the presence & accessibility of firearms in the homes of adolescent suicides is summarized in this article (see SIEC #920382). One of the findings of the study was that the ways in which guns were stored had no impact on the likelihood that they would be used […]

A consensus set of health status indicators was released in July 1991 by the CDC for use by public health officials at federal, state & local levels. Indicators for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania show that mortality rates due to suicide will not meet the year 2000 targets. If trends of the last 10 years continue, the […]

This wallet-size pamphlet gives general information on adolescent suicide, including myths & facts, warning signs, & how to help a friend who is hurting. The addresses & phone numbers of some community agencies in Indiana, Pennsylvania are also provided.

Personality disorders & traits in 43 adolescent suicide victims & 43 community controls were assessed from the parents, using semistructured interviews & self-report forms. Probable or definite personality disorders were more common in suicide victims than in controls, particularly impulsive-dramatic & avoidant-dependent types. Suicide victims also showed greater scores on lifetime aggression, even after controlling […]

63 adolescent suicide victims with a history of affective illness were compared to 23 controls with a lifetime history of affective illness, using a case-control design. Suicide victims were more likely to have had major depression, comorbid substance abuse, a past suicide attempt, family history of major depression, treatment with tricyclic antidepressant, history of legal […]

The Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Medical Students Section & the Temple University School of Law explored the topic of physician-assisted suicide in a “mock trial”. In a hypothetical case, Dr. C was charged with aiding a suicide after he gave a patient enough drugs to kill herself, which she subsequently did. This essay is a discussion […]

A test of validity of the psychiatric diagnoses obtained by the psychological autopsy procedure is described in a consecutive series of 67 adolescent suicide victims. It was found that specific associations between subject diagnosis & familial rates of illness were demonstrated for major depression, bipolar illness, conduct & antisocial disorder & substance abuse. These results […]

The relevance of a clinical diagnosis of depression for explaining the discrepant relationships of hopelessness & depression with suicidal ideation was studied. The Beck Depression Inventory, Hopelessness Scale, & the Scale for Suicide Ideation were administered to 1,306 patients with at least 1 DSM-III-R mood disorder & 488 patients without any mood disorders. Hopelessness was […]

The computer-assisted version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation was administered to 330 psychiatric inpatients diagnosed with mixed disorders. Of the 330 inpatients, 115 were classifed as suicide ideators according to this scale. Three factors were found that reflected desire for death, preparation for suicide & active suicidal desire. The importance of assessing specific […]

An examination of the prevalence of previous suicide attempts in an adolescent clinic population. Attempters were more likely than nonattempters to be female. Attempters had poor mean scores on subscales for family relationships, depression, thought disorders, delinquency, aggression, and identity. Findings indicate that suicide attempts are common among adolescent clinic patients, that physicians may not […]

This brief article summarizes the Philadelphia court case about Daniel Simmons, who committed suicide the same night he was taken into custody for public intoxication. The defence stressed Simmons should have been under constant observation due to his heavy intoxication & confused & agitated state. A jury awarded the plantiff $1 million for wrongful death […]

Intake data for 61 children in 3 types of mental health programs were compared to examine the assumption that the level of a program’s intrusiveness is positively related to a child’s severity of dysfunction. Results supported the relationship between intrusiveness & dysfunction only when children in outpatient treatment were compared with those in the other […]

69 subjects, aged 16-18 years, were surveyed to provide data on anger, depression, & suicide ideation. Suicide ideation was present in 15.9% of subjects & depression in 14.1%. Subjects with suicidal ideation demonstrated greater levels of anger & poorer anger control. Recommendations are made for psychiatric nurses to collaborate with school administrators to develop programs […]

Suicide is the second leading cause of adolescent death in Pennsylvania. The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide school district personnel with the background information & necessary materials to develop policies & procedures to assist students at-risk for suicide & other mental health concerns. It will aid in establishing & maintaining an environment favourable […]

In this letter to the editor, Blackman comments on a study by Brent et al on adolescent suicide in western Pennsylvania (see SIEC #920382). Blackman feels that the small scale of the study may have caused some faulty conclusions to be reached. He also feels that the study went beyond its statistical data in endorsing […]

This article describes a school suicide prevention program in Pennsylvania called PREVENT. The program includes: a faculty inservice to inform staff on motives, causes, symptoms, & means of prevention & intervention; student presentations, a parent communicaiton network, a campus ministry, a peer counselling course, student community service, and literature on suicide are also included in […]

From March 1, 1988 to February 29, 1988, nearly 10% of the estimated population of women aged 15 years or older in a urban black community in Philadelphia suffered an injury resulting in an emergency room visit or death. Suicide attempts were not among the most common injury types, although they were the 3rd most […]

This article discusses the development of a program dealing with depression/suicide risk in K-12 students in Pennsylvania. Training for school personnel included awareness, intervention, assessing lethality & introducing the student to the proper resource. Student components focused on understanding destructive behavior & developing self-esteem through mediums such as plays. Evaluation has shown a 300% incrase […]

This paper describes the Roberts Assistance Program (RAP) in Pennsylvania & how it is a vehicle for suicide prevention programming. Prevention activities include prevention curriculum for K-12 students. Intervention services include crisis response teams. The RAP prevents crises through early intervention, & by receiving referrals from others. Once a referral is received, the team collects […]

The contagion effect & postvention’s role in preventing this is discussed. After a suicide takes place, students are often at risk for further suicidal behavior. The 3 goals of a postvention program are: early identification of other students at risk, returning the school to an emotionally neutral state, & helping students begin a grieving process. […]

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