Clinician Perspectives on Suicide Safety Planning and Its Implementation.

OBJECTIVE: The safety planning intervention is an evidence-based practice shown to reduce suicide risk, but implementation of high-quality safety planning has proven challenging. We aimed to understand clinician perspectives on the safety planning intervention to inform future implementation efforts. METHOD: This cross-sectional survey of clinicians who care for patients at risk of suicide in an academic medical center asked about comfort levels and fidelity to components of the safety planning intervention and assessed implementation barriers and facilitators. We used exploratory data analysis and regression analysis to explore clinician perspectives and assess the relationship between formal training and implementation. RESULTS: Ninety-two clinicians responded to the survey. Two-thirds of participants (64.9%) endorsed using all six core elements of the safety planning intervention. Participants who reported receiving formal training in safety planning were significantly more likely to report being comfortable completing a safety plan (p < .001); those with higher levels of comfort were significantly more likely to endorse using all of the core elements of the safety planning intervention (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Training in the evidence-based safety planning intervention is associated with clinician comfort and awareness of the core elements of the intervention. Our results suggest that there are gaps in clinician training and that formal safety planning intervention training could have a positive effect on clinician comfort and treatment fidelity.

Themes Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among People Attracted to Children.

Suicide represents a significant public health problem, with around 800,000 deaths per year worldwide and up to 20 times as many episodes of self-harm and suicide attempts. Members of stigmatized groups may experience increased risk of suicide due in part to stigma-related factors, such as expectations of rejection, internalization of negative stereotypes, or potential for greater social isolation. Research suggests that adults who are attracted to children face extreme stigma, even those who do not commit sexual crimes involving children. Adults who are attracted to children also experience significantly increased risk for suicidal ideation and behavior (SIB) compared to general population samples. The current study sought to explore experiences with SIB among adults attracted to children to better understand factors underlying suicidality in this population. The lead author conducted semi-structured interviews in a community sample of 15 adults attracted to children who self-reported some form of SIB in their lifetime. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the lead author explored and interpreted interview data to generate themes driven by respondents' characterizations of their SIB. Superordinate themes related to suicidality in this sample included low self-esteem or self-worth, cumulative impacts of the attraction and other stressors, and concerns about the ability to have a positive future due to the attraction. Findings underscore the importance of addressing internalized stigma, treating problems like depression and social isolation, and instilling hope for the future to promote mental health and prevent SIB among adults attracted to children.

Demographic predictors of emergency service utilization patterns in youth at risk of suicide.

OBJECTIVE: To explore demographic predictors of Emergency Department (ED) utilization among youth with a history of suicidality (i.e., ideation or behaviors). METHODS: Electronic health records were extracted from 2017 to 2021 for 3094 8-22 year-old patients with a history of suicidality at an urban academic medical center ED in the Mid-Atlantic. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess for demographic predictors of ED utilization frequency, timing of subsequent visits, and reasons for subsequent visits over a 24-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Black race (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.11-1.92), Female sex (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.26-2.03), and having Medicaid insurance (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.37-2.14) were associated with increased utilization, while being under 18 was associated with lower utilization (<12: OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.26-0.56; 12-18: OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.35-0.63). These demographics were also associated with ED readmission within 90 days, while being under 18 was associated with a lower odds of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with a history of suicidality, those who identify as Black, young adults, patients with Medicaid, and female patients were more likely to be frequent utilizers of the ED within the 2 years following their initial visit. This pattern may suggest inadequate health care access for these groups, and a need to develop better care coordination with an intersectional focus to facilitate utilization of other health services.

Prevalence and Correlates of Opioid-Involved Suicides in Maryland.

OBJECTIVE: Involvement of opioids in suicides has doubled during the past two decades, worsening a major public health concern. This study examined the characteristics of opioid-involved suicides. METHODS: The sample of decedents (N = 12,038) in Maryland between 2006 and 2020 was used to compare the characteristics of opioid-involved suicides (n = 947) with suicides not involving opioids (n = 6,896) and accidental opioid deaths (n = 4,125). Direct comparisons were then made between opioid-involved suicides with and without the additional presence of non-opioid substances. RESULTS: Opioid-involved suicides were significantly more likely than suicides not involving opioids to occur among those aged 18-64 years, non-Hispanic Whites, and unemployed or disabled individuals. Opioid-involved suicides were more likely than accidental opioid deaths to occur among females, those aged <18 years, non-Hispanic Whites, and employed individuals. Of all suicides involved opioids, 45% involved other non-opioid substances. Polysubstance opioid suicides were significantly more likely than suicides involving opioids only to occur among non-Hispanic Whites. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences were observed in the demographic groups most at risk for opioid-involved suicide than other suicide or accidental opioid death. Among opioid-involved suicides, polysubstance involvement also represents a distinct group. These findings may enhance the targeting of prevention efforts.HIGHLIGHTSOpioid-involved suicides differ from other suicides or accidental opioid deaths.In opioid-involved suicides, polysubstance involvement represents a distinct group.These findings may enhance the targeting of prevention efforts.

Assessment of Selective and Universal Screening for Suicide Risk in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

Importance: According to National Patient Safety Goal 15.01.01, all individuals being treated or evaluated for behavioral health conditions as their primary reason for care in hospitals and behavioral health care organizations accredited by The Joint Commission should be screened for suicide risk using a validated tool. Existing suicide risk screens have minimal or no high-quality evidence of association with future suicide-related outcomes. Objective: To test the association between results of the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) instrument in a pediatric emergency department (ED), implemented through selective and universal screening approaches, and subsequent suicide-related outcomes. Design Setting and Participants: In this retrospective cohort study at an urban pediatric ED in the United States, the ASQ was administered to youths aged 8 to 18 years with behavioral and psychiatric presenting problems from March 18, 2013, to December 31, 2016 (selective condition), and then to youths aged 10 to 18 years with medical presenting problems (in addition to those aged 8-18 years with behavioral and psychiatric presenting problems) from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018 (universal condition). Exposure: Positive ASQ screen at baseline ED visit. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were subsequent ED visits with suicide-related presenting problems (ie, ideation or attempts) based on electronic health records and death by suicide identified through state medical examiner records. Association with suicide-related outcomes was calculated over the entire study period using survival analyses and at 3-month follow-up for both conditions using relative risk. Results: The complete sample was 15003 youths (7044 47.0%] male; 10209 [68.0%] black; mean [SD] age, 14.5 [3.1] years at baseline). The follow-up for the selective condition was a mean (SD) of 1133.7 (433.3) days; for the universal condition, it was 366.2 (209.2) days. In the selective condition, there were 275 suicide-related ED visits and 3 deaths by suicide. In the universal condition, there were 118 suicide-related ED visits and no deaths during the follow-up period. Adjusting for demographic characteristics and baseline presenting problem, positive ASQ screens were associated with greater risk of suicide-related outcomes among both the universal sample (hazard ratio, 6.8 [95% CI, 4.2-11.1]) and the selective sample (hazard ratio, 4.8 [95% CI, 3.5-6.5]). Conclusions and Relevance: Positive results of both selective and universal screening for suicide risk in pediatric EDs appear to be associated with subsequent suicidal behavior. Screening may be a particularly effective way to detect suicide risk among those who did not present with ideation or attempt. Future studies should examine the impact of screening in combination with other policies and procedures aimed at reducing suicide risk.Appeared originally in JAMA Netw Open 2019; 2:e1914070.

Prevalence and correlates of lifetime suicide attempt in obsessive-compulsive disorder with major depression.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about specific obsessive-compulsive clinical features associated with lifetime history of suicide attempt in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depression. METHODS: The study sample included 515 adults with OCD and a history of major depression. In exploratory analyses, we compared the distributions of demographic characteristics and clinical features in those with and without a history of attempted suicide and used logistic regression to evaluate the association between specific obsessive-compulsive clinical features and lifetime suicide attempt. RESULTS: Sixty-four (12%) of the participants reported a lifetime history of suicide attempt. Those who had attempted suicide were more likely to report having experienced violent or horrific images (52% vs. 30%; p < 0.001). The odds of lifetime suicide attempt were more than twice as great in participants with versus without violent or horrific images (O.R. = 2.46, 95%, CI = 1.45-4.19; p < 0.001), even after adjustment for other risk correlates of attempted suicide, including alcohol dependence, post-traumatic stress disorder, parental conflict, excessive physical discipline, and number of episodes of depression. The association between violent or horrific images and attempted suicide was especially strong in men, 18-29 year olds, those with post-traumatic stress disorder, and those with particular childhood adversities. CONCLUSIONS: Violent or horrific images are strongly associated with lifetime suicide attempts in OCD-affected individuals with a history of major depression. Prospective clinical and epidemiological studies are needed to elucidate the basis of this relationship.

The Protective Effect of Clozapine on Suicide: A Population Mortality Study of Statewide Autopsy Records in Maryland.

Objective: Clozapine is the most efficacious antipsychotic medication, but it is underutilized and its mechanism of action is still poorly understood. One aspect of its unique efficacy that requires further study is its effect on suicidality. A randomized controlled trial, the InterSePT study, yielded evidence that clozapine reduces suicidality more than olanzapine, after which it became the only medication indicated for recurrent suicidal behavior in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. We present here the first study of population mortality data to investigate the effect of clozapine on suicide.Methods: We reviewed statewide autopsy records of Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which performs uniquely comprehensive death investigations that include full toxicologic panels with postmortem blood levels of antipsychotics. Our study compared clozapine- and olanzapine-positive decedents across demographic, clinical, and manner-of-death outcomes using contingency table analysis and logistic regression.Results: Of 53,144 decedents from 2003 to 2021, 621 had clozapine or olanzapine detected on autopsy, with the two groups showing no demographic differences. Decedents with clozapine were significantly less likely to have died by suicide than by accident compared to those with olanzapine (odds ratio = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26-0.84; P = .011).Conclusions: Our study thus adds more naturalistic evidence to the growing literature on the beneficial effect of clozapine on suicidality. Our findings also highlight the utility of statewide autopsy records, an untapped resource for investigating the potential protective effect of psychiatric medications on suicide at a population level.

Self-Esteem, Perceived Social Support, and Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among Adults Attracted to Children.

Introduction: People who are attracted to children may be at elevated risk for suicidal ideation and behavior compared to the general population. However, factors associated with suicidal ideation and behavior in this population represent a gap in the literature.Methods: The current study used multilinear regression to explore the impact of self-esteem and perceived social support on suicidal ideation and behavior in a sample of 154 adults attracted to children. Mediation analysis was conducted to investigate the role of lifetime major depressive disorder and hopelessness in these relationships.Results: Results showed high prevalence of past-year and lifetime suicidal ideation and behavior in the sample. Both self-esteem and perceived social support demonstrated significant, inverse relationships with suicidal ideation and behavior after adjustment for covariates. Mediation analyses provided support for the role of hopelessness, but not depression, in these relationships.Conclusion: Results demonstrate high rates of suicidal ideation and behavior among adults attracted to children and highlight important opportunities for prevention and intervention. Improving self-esteem, bolstering perceived social support, reducing hopelessness, and removing barriers to help-seeking may be targets for improving mental health and preventing suicidal ideation and behavior in this population.

Understanding opioid use within a Southwestern American Indian Reservation Community: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Morbidity and mortality due to nonprescription use of opioids has been well documented following the significant increase in the availability of prescription opioids in the early 2000s. The aim of this paper is to explore community beliefs about correlates of opioid risk, protective factors, and behavioral functions of opioid misuse among American Indian youth and young adults living on or near a reservation. METHODS: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with N = 18 youth and young adults who were enrolled in a parent research trial focused on American Indian youth suicide prevention. Participants were eligible if they endorsed the use of opioids themselves or by close friends or family members at any point during their trial participation. FINDINGS: Major themes discussed include: (1) description of opioid use and those who use opioids; (2) acquisition; (3) initiation; (4) motivation to continue using; (5) consequences; and (6) possibilities for intervention. Family played an important role in the initiation of use, but was also highlighted as an important factor in treatment and recovery. A need for upstream prevention methods, including increased employment and after-school activities, was described. CONCLUSIONS: The insights gained through this work could help to inform treatment and prevention programs in the community. This work is timely due to the pressing urgency of the opioid epidemic nationally, and community capacity to address opioid use locally.

The prevalence of mental health disorders in people with HIV and the effects on the HIV care continuum.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of diagnosed depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in people with HIV (PWH) and the differences in HIV care continuum outcomes in those with and without mental health disorders (MHDs). DESIGN: Observational study of participants in the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design. METHODS: PWH (≥18 years) contributed data on prevalent schizophrenia, anxiety, depressive, and bipolar disorders from 2008 to 2018 based on International Classification of Diseases code mapping. Mental health (MH) multimorbidity was defined as having two or more MHD. Log binomial models with generalized estimating equations estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals for retention in care (≥1 visit/year) and viral suppression (HIV RNA ≤200 copies/ml) by presence vs. absence of each MHD between 2016 and 2018. RESULTS: Among 122 896 PWH, 67 643 (55.1%) were diagnosed with one or more MHD: 39% with depressive disorders, 28% with anxiety disorders, 10% with bipolar disorder, and 5% with schizophrenia. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders increased between 2008 and 2018, whereas bipolar disorder and schizophrenia remained stable. MH multimorbidity affected 24% of PWH. From 2016 to 2018 (N = 64 684), retention in care was marginally lower among PWH with depression or anxiety, however those with MH multimorbidity were more likely to be retained in care. PWH with bipolar disorder had marginally lower prevalence of viral suppression (aPR = 0.98 [0.98-0.99]) as did PWH with MH multimorbidity (aPR = 0.99 [0.99-1.00]) compared with PWH without MHD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MHD among PWH was high, including MH multimorbidity. Although retention and viral suppression were similar to people without MHD, viral suppression was lower in those with bipolar disorder and MH multimorbidity.

Long gun suicides in the state of Maryland following the firearm safety act of 2013.

OBJECTIVES: In 2013, the state of Maryland passed the Firearms Safety Act limiting the private sales of handguns, which did not apply to long guns often used for hunting (e.g., rifles and shotguns). This decreased the accessibility of handguns relative to long guns. We assessed the frequency of long gun suicides in the years before and after the policy change during winter season, which encompasses hunting season in Maryland. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis on all 4107 well-characterized adult suicides caused by firearms in Maryland from 2003 through 2019. Logistic regression was performed, stratifying by decedent sex, race, and age. RESULTS: While handgun suicides decreased in the period after 2013's Firearm Safety Act (p < 0.008), wintertime long gun suicides increased after 2013 (p < 0.004). Caucasian race (p < 0.006), male sex (p < 0.005), and middle age (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with wintertime long gun suicides after 2013. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that while the 2013 Firearms Safety Act decreased handgun suicides significantly, it did not reduce long gun suicides and there may even have been replacement with long guns during hunting season, when rifles are out and accessible. This association was most prominent among the demographics most likely to hunt (Caucasian, middle-aged, and male).

Anxiety symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among patients with mood disorders.

BACKGROUND: Though the association between anxiety disorders and suicidal behavior is well-described, the impact of anxiety symptoms on suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) across different mood disorders is still unclear. METHODS: We performed a registry-based retrospective study utilizing outcome measure data collected by the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC), a nationwide nonprofit consortium of 26 leading clinical and academic member centers in the United States. The sample consisted of 2607 outpatients with mood disorders (major depressive disorder or bipolar disorders). Demographic and clinical variables were compared based on the presence or absence of STB and severity of anxiety symptoms (minimal, mild, moderate, and severe). Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to examine the correlations of STB, considering multicollinearity. RESULTS: Patients with mild, moderate, and severe anxiety symptoms had higher odds of STB than those with minimal symptoms. Gender, marital status, age, and depressive symptoms were other strong predictors of STB. There was no difference in the odds of STB between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and those with bipolar disorders (BD). However, the odds of suicidal ideation were slightly lower among patients with BD than those with MDD. LIMITATIONS: Our sample was comprised only of outpatients, limiting the generalization of our findings. Other limitations include the lack of structured interviews for diagnostic characterization of the patients and the utilization of data on anxiety and mood obtained solely through self-report scales. CONCLUSIONS: We found a cross-sectional association between the severity of anxiety symptoms and STB among patients with mood disorders. This study demonstrates the need for a suicide risk assessment in patients with mood disorders reporting anxiety symptoms.

Association of State Social and Environmental Factors With Rates of Self-injury Mortality and Suicide in the United States.

Importance: Self-injury mortality (SIM) combines suicides and the preponderance of drug misuse-related overdose fatalities. Identifying social and environmental factors associated with SIM and suicide may inform etiologic understanding and intervention design. Objective: To identify factors associated with interstate SIM and suicide rate variation and to assess potential for differential suicide misclassification. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used a partial panel time series with underlying cause-of-death data from 50 US states and the District of Columbia for 1999-2000, 2007-2008, 2013-2014 and 2018-2019. Applying data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SIM includes all suicides and the preponderance of unintentional and undetermined drug intoxication deaths, reflecting self-harm behaviors. Data were analyzed from February to June 2021. Exposures: Exposures included inequity, isolation, demographic characteristics, injury mechanism, health care access, and medicolegal death investigation system type. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome, SIM, was assessed using unstandardized regression coefficients of interstate variation associations, identified by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator; ratios of crude SIM to suicide rates per 100 000 population were assessed for potential differential suicide misclassification. Results: A total of 101 325 SIMs were identified, including 74 506 (73.5%) among males and 26 819 (26.5%) among females. SIM to suicide rate ratios trended upwards, with an accelerating increase in overdose fatalities classified as unintentional or undetermined (SIM to suicide rate ratio, 1999-2000: 1.39; 95% CI, 1.38-1.41; 2018-2019: 2.12; 95% CI, 2.11-2.14). Eight states recorded a SIM to suicide rate ratio less than 1.50 in 2018-2019 vs 39 states in 1999-2000. Northeastern states concentrated in the highest category (range, 2.10-6.00); only the West remained unrepresented. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator identified 8 factors associated with the SIM rate in 2018-2019: centralized medical examiner system (ß = 4.362), labor underutilization rate (ß = 0.728), manufacturing employment (ß = -0.056), homelessness rate (ß = -0.125), percentage nonreligious (ß = 0.041), non-Hispanic White race and ethnicity (ß = 0.087), prescribed opioids for 30 days or more (ß = 0.117), and percentage without health insurance (ß = -0.013) and 5 factors associated with the suicide rate: percentage male (ß = 1.046), military veteran (ß = 0.747), rural (ß = 0.031), firearm ownership (ß = 0.030), and pain reliever misuse (ß = 1.131). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that SIM rates were associated with modifiable, upstream factors. Although embedded in SIM, suicide unexpectedly deviated in proposed social and environmental determinants. Heterogeneity in medicolegal death investigation processes and data assurance needs further characterization, with the goal of providing the highest-quality reports for developing and tracking public health policies and practices.

Effectiveness of restricting access to a suicide jump site: a test of the method substitution hypothesis.

Reducing access to lethal means can prevent suicides. However, substitution of a suicide method remains a concern. Until 1986, the Ellington Bridge was the site of one-half of all Washington, DC bridge suicides. An antisuicide fence was installed in 1986, creating a naturalistic case-control design for testing the substitution hypothesis with the adjacent and equally as lethal jump site, the Taft Bridge. We found that suicide deaths from the Ellington Bridge were reduced by 90% (p=0.001) following barrier construction, without changes in rates of jumps from either the Taft Bridge or any other bridge in the city. Suicides by all methods decreased significantly across the study period. While the decline in suicides from the Ellington Bridge may reflect a broader decline in suicide, the decline in bridge suicide without persistent shifts in deaths to other bridges provides evidence that restricting access to one highly lethal method is effective.