Comparison of accredited person and medical officer discharge decisions under the Mental Health Act of NSW: A cohort study of deliberate self-poisoning patients.

BACKGROUND: The Accredited Persons Programme was introduced in 2003. The relevant Mental Health Acts (NSW) authorised reviews by appropriately credentialed non-medical health professionals as part of the process of detaining and treating a person without consent: an authority previously held by medical officers. Evaluations of the Programme are needed. OBJECTIVE: To compare discharge decisions for hospital-treated deliberate self-poisoning patients made by an Accredited Person and Medical Officers. METHODS: For a 10-year cohort (2003-2012) of index hospital-treated deliberate self-poisoning admissions at the Calvary Mater Newcastle, we compared Accredited Person and Medical Officer discharge decisions from the general hospital. We specifically examined discharges to the psychiatric hospital under a Mental Health Act certificate (used as an index of the Accredited Person's use of the authority under the Accredited Persons Programme) compared to any other discharge destination. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models and a propensity score analysis were used to explore the relationship between clinician type and discharge destination. RESULTS: There were 2237 index assessments (Accredited Person = 884; Medical Officer = 1443). One-quarter (27%) were referred for assessment under the Act at the psychiatric hospital, with the Accredited Person significantly more likely (32%) to require this compared to the Medical Officers (24%); Risk Difference: 8.3% (4.5 to 12.1). However, after adjusting for patient characteristics; Risk Difference: -3.0% (-5.9 to -0.1) and for propensity score, Risk Difference: -3.3% (-6.7 to 0.1), the Accredited Person and Medical Officer likelihood of discharging for an assessment under the Act was similar. CONCLUSIONS: The Accredited Person assessed more clinically complex patients than the Medical Officers. After adjusting for clinical complexity and propensity score, the likelihood of referral for involuntary psychiatric hospital care was similar for Accredited Person and Medical Officers. Our evaluation of the Accredited Person programme in the general hospital was favourable, and wider implementation and evaluation is warranted.

Mechanisms of brief contact interventions in clinical populations: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Brief Contact Interventions (BCIs) have been of increasing interest to suicide prevention clinicians, researchers and policy makers. However, there has been no systematic assessment into the mechanisms underpinning BCIs. The aim of the current paper is to provide a systematic review of the proposed mechanisms underpinning BCIs across trial studies. METHOD: A systematic review was conducted of trials using BCIs (post-discharge telephone contacts; emergency or crisis cards; and postcard or letter contacts) for suicide or self-harm. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the reference lists of all past reviews in the area. Secondary searches of reference lists were undertaken. RESULTS: Sixteen papers provided a description of possible mechanisms which we grouped into three main areas: social support; suicide prevention literacy, and; learning alternative coping behaviours. After assessment of the studies and considering the plausibility of mechanisms, we suggest social support and improved suicide prevention literacy are the most likely mechanisms underpinning BCIs. CONCLUSION: Researchers need to better articulate and measure the mechanisms they believe underpin BCIs in trial studies. Understanding more about the mechanisms of BCIs' will inform the development of future interventions for self-harm and suicide.

Letters, green cards, telephone calls and postcards: systematic and meta-analytic review of brief contact interventions for reducing self-harm, suicide attempts and suicide.

BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in brief contact interventions for self-harm and suicide attempt. AIMS: To synthesise the evidence regarding the effectiveness of brief contact interventions for reducing self-harm, suicide attempt and suicide. METHOD: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analyses were conducted of randomised controlled trials using brief contact interventions (telephone contacts; emergency or crisis cards; and postcard or letter contacts). Several sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine study quality and subgroup effects. RESULTS: We found 14 eligible studies overall, of which 12 were amenable to meta-analyses. For any subsequent episode of self-harm or suicide attempt, there was a non-significant reduction in the overall pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.87 (95% CI 0.74-1.04, P = 0119) for intervention compared with control. The number of repetitions per person was significantly reduced in intervention v. control (incidence rate ratio IRR = 066, 95% CI 0.54-0.80, P<0001). There was no significant reduction in the odds of suicide in intervention compared with control (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.24-1.38). CONCLUSIONS: A non-significant positive effect on repeated self-harm, suicide attempt and suicide and a significant effect on the number of episodes of repeated self-harm or suicide attempts per person (based on only three studies) means that brief contact interventions cannot yet be recommended for widespread clinical implementation. We recommend further assessment of possible benefits in well-designed trials in clinical populations.

Suicide in young adults: psychiatric and socio-economic factors from a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Suicide in young adults remains an important public health issue in Australia. The attributable risks associated with broader socioeconomic factors, compared to more proximal psychiatric disorders, have not been considered previously in individual-level studies of young adults. This study compared the relative contributions of psychiatric disorder and socio-economic disadvantage associated with suicide in terms of relative and attributable risk in young adults. METHOD: A population-based case-control study of young adults (18-34 years) compared cases of suicide (n = 84) with randomly selected controls (n = 250) from population catchments in New South Wales (Australia), with exposure information collected from key informant interviews (for both cases and controls). The relative and attributable risk of suicide associated with ICD-10 defined substance use, affective, and anxiety disorder was compared with educational achievement and household income, adjusting for key confounders. Prevalence of exposures from the control group was used to estimate population attributable fractions (PAF). RESULTS: Strong associations were evident between mental disorders and suicide for both males and females (ORs 3.1 to 18.7). The strongest association was for anxiety disorders (both males and females), followed by affective disorders and substance use disorders. Associations for socio-economic status were smaller in magnitude than for mental disorders for both males and females (ORs 1.1 to 4.8 for lower compared to high SES groups). The combined PAF% for all mental disorders (48% for males and 52% for females) was similar in magnitude to socio-economic status (46% for males and 58% for females). CONCLUSION: Socio-economic status had a similar magnitude of population attributable risk for suicide as mental disorders. Public health interventions to reduce suicide should incorporate socio-economic disadvantage in addition to mental illness as a potential target for intervention.

The effects of involuntary job loss on suicide and suicide attempts among young adults: evidence from a matched case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of involuntary job loss on suicide and attempted suicide in young adults. METHOD: A population-based case-control study of young adults (18-34 years) was conducted in New South Wales, Australia. Cases included both suicides (n=84) and attempts (n=101). A structured interview was conducted with next of kin (for suicide cases) and suicide attempters admitted to hospital. Controls selected from the general population were matched to cases by age and sex. Job dismissal or redundancy (involuntary job loss) in the 12 months before suicide or attempt was the main study variable of interest. Suicide and attempts were modelled separately and in combination as outcomes using conditional logistic regression modelling. The analysis was also adjusted for marital status, socio-economic status and diagnosis of an affective or anxiety disorder. RESULTS: Following adjustment for other variables, involuntary job loss was associated with an odds ratio of 1.82 for suicide and attempted suicide (combined) (95% CI 0.98 to 3.37; p=0.058). Low socio-economic status was associated with an odds ratio of 3.80 for suicide and attempted suicide (95% CI 2.16 to 6.67; p<0.001) compared to high socio-economic status (after adjustment). Diagnosis of a mental disorder was associated with a 7.87 (95% CI 5.16 to 12.01; p<0.001) odds ratio of suicide and attempted suicide compared to no diagnosis (after adjustment). Involuntary job loss was associated with increased odds of suicide and attempts when these were modelled separately, but results did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Involuntary job loss was associated with increased odds of suicide and attempted suicide. The strength of this relationship was attenuated after adjustment for socio-economic status and mental disorders, which indicates that these may have a stronger influence on suicide than job loss.

ALSUntangled #71: Nuedexta.

Nuedexta is a combination of dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 to treat pseudobulbar affect (PBA). There have since been anecdotal case reports of bulbar function improvements after Nuedexta treatment. Here, we review the off-label use of Nuedexta for improving bulbar function in people with ALS. Nuedexta has plausible mechanisms for protecting brain stem motor neurons via its effects on S1R and glutamate excitotoxicity. Recent clinical trials support that Nuedexta can improve bulbar function in PALS, with or without PBA. Nuedexta causes mild to moderate side effects. Based on this information, we support considering Nuedexta treatment for bulbar dysfunction in ALS patients with or without PBA.

ALSUntangled #73: Lion's Mane.

Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has historically been used as traditional medicine in Asia and Europe for its potential benefits in fighting infection and cancer. It has gained interest in the neurodegenerative disease field because of its mechanisms of action; these include anti-inflammation, neuroprotection, and promoting neurite growth demonstrated in various cell and animal models. A very small, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with mild cognitive impairment showed a temporary improvement in cognitive function; this finding has yet to be replicated. However, there have been no studies in ALS cell or animal models or in humans with ALS. Lion's Mane appears safe and inexpensive when consumed in powder or capsule, but one anaphylactic case was reported after a patient consumed fresh Lion's Mane mushroom. Currently, we do not have enough information to support the use of Lion's Mane for treating ALS. We support further research in ALS disease models and clinical trials to study its efficacy.

Characteristics of self-harm presentations to the emergency department of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, 2012-2019: Data from the Self-Harm Monitoring System for Victoria.

BACKGROUND: Rates of self-harm and suicide are increasing world-wide, particularly in young females. Emergency departments (EDs) are a common first point-of-contact for young people who self-harm. We examined age- and sex-related differences in: (1) rates of self-harm over an eight-year period; (2) changes in demographic, presentation, and treatment characteristics over this period, and; (3) rates of, and time to, self-harm re-presentation. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of all self-harm presentations in persons aged nine years and older to the Royal Melbourne Hospital ED over an eight-year period, 1 January 2012-31 December 2019. The Royal Melbourne Hospital is one of the largest and busiest public EDs in Melbourne, Australia and serves a primary catchment area of approximately 1.5 million people. RESULTS: There were 551,692 presentations to the Royal Melbourne Hospital ED over this period (57.6 % by females). Of these, 7736 (1.4 %) were self-harm related. These self-harm presentations involved 5428 individuals (54.8 % female), giving an overall repetition event-rate of 11.2 %. Self-harm related presentations increased by 5 % per year (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR 1.05, 95 % CI 1.02-1.08); a 44 % increase over the eight-year period (IRR 1.44, 95 % CI 1.15-1.80). This increase was more pronounced for young people aged< 25 years. The most common method was self-poisoning, primarily by anxiolytics or analgesics. The proportion of presentations involving self-poisoning alone declined modestly over time, whilst the proportion involving self-injury alone increased. For just over half of all presentations the person was seen by ED mental health staff. The median time to first re-presentation was 4.5 months (Inter-Quartile Range [IQR] 0.7-13.2 months). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of hospital presenting self-harm may be increasing, particularly amongst young people, whilst most self-harm presentations occurred outside office hours; so appropriate ED staffing, training and clinical care models are needed. Around half of those with a repeat episode of self-harm repeated within three months of their index (i.e., first recorded) presentation. Efforts to establish appropriate aftercare services, including alternatives to ED services with service availability 24 h a day 7 days a week, aimed at reducing repetition rates, should be prioritised.

Modelling the cost-effectiveness of brief aftercare interventions following hospital-treated self-harm.

BACKGROUND: Prior self-harm represents the most significant risk factor for future self-harm or suicide. AIM: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a theoretical brief aftercare intervention (involving brief follow-up contact, care coordination and safety planning), following a hospital-treated self-harm episode, for reducing repeated self-harm within the Australian context. METHOD: We employed economic modelling techniques to undertake: (a) a return-on-investment analysis, which compared the cost-savings generated by the intervention with the overall cost of implementing the intervention; and (b) a cost-utility analysis, which compared the net costs of the intervention with health outcomes measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). We considered cost offsets associated with hospital admission for self-harm and the cost of suicide over a period of 10 years in the base case analysis. Uncertainty and one-way sensitivity analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: The brief aftercare intervention resulted in net cost-savings of AUD$7.5 M (95% uncertainty interval: -56.2 M to 15.1 M) and was associated with a gain of 222 (95% uncertainty interval: 45 to 563) QALYs over a 10-year period. The estimated return-on-investment ratio for the intervention's modelled cost in relation to cost-savings was 1.58 (95% uncertainty interval: -0.17 to 5.33). Eighty-seven per cent of uncertainty iterations showed that the intervention could be considered cost-effective, either through cost-savings or with an acceptable cost-effectiveness ratio of 50 000 per QALY gained. The results remained robust across sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: A theoretical brief aftercare intervention is highly likely to be cost-effective for preventing suicide and self-harm among individuals with a history of self-harm.

Surveillance of Hospital-Presenting Intentional Self-Harm in Western Sydney, Australia, During the Implementation of a New Self-Harm Reporting Field.

Background: Hospital-presenting self-harm is a strong predictor of suicide and has substantial human and health service costs. Aims: We aimed to identify changes in case ascertainment after implementation of a new self-harm reporting field at a tertiary hospital in New South Wales, and to report event rates, demographic, and clinical characteristics. Method: Self-harm events presenting to the emergency department (October 2017 to August 2020) were identified using clinical documentation and a new reporting field. Changes in the frequency of self-harm in the period after implementation of the self-harm field were assessed through Poisson regression models. Results: A twofold increase in the frequency of self-harm was detected following the implementation of the new reporting field. The annual average age-standardized event rate of self-harm was 110.4 per 100,000 (120.8 per 100,000 for females; 100.1 per 100,000 for males). The highest rates by age and sex were for females aged 15-19 years (375 per 100,000) and males aged 20-24 years (175 per 100,000). Limitations: Self-harm identification relies on clinician coding practice, which is subject to variability and potential under-enumeration. Conclusion: These findings highlight the value of a self-harm reporting field in hospital record systems for accurate recording and long-term monitoring of self-harm event rates.

Prevalence of Depression and Predictors of Discharge to a Psychiatric Hospital in Young People with Hospital-Treated Deliberate Self-Poisoning at an Australian Sentinel Unit.

OBJECTIVE: Hospital treated deliberate self-poisoning is common in young people. Internationally, estimates of rates of depression in this population are very wide (14.6% to 88%). The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of depression and the independent predictors of referral for psychiatric hospitalisation in young people (aged 16 to 25 years) following an index episode of hospital treated deliberate self-poisoning. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study design (n = 1410), with data drawn from a population-based clinical case register. Unadjusted and adjusted estimates of predictors of referral for psychiatric admission (after-care) used logistic regression models. RESULTS: Prevalence of any depression diagnosis was 35.5% (n = 500); and 25.4% (n = 358) were referred for a psychiatric admission. The adjusted estimates for predictors of psychiatric inpatient referral were: high suicidal level (OR 118.21: CI 95% 63.23-220.99), low/moderate suicidal level (14.27: 9.38-21.72), any depression (2.88: 1.97-4.22), any psychosis (4.06; 1.15-14.36), older age (1.12: 1.04-1.21), and number of support people (0.88: 0.78-0.98). CONCLUSION: Depression was diagnosed in more than a third and was an independent predictor of psychiatric inpatient referral, so service providers need to account for this level of need in the provision of assessment and after-care services. Evidence-based guidelines for psychiatric inpatient after-care for deliberate self-poisoning and/or depression in young people are limited. Our explanatory model included suicidal level, depression, psychosis, older age, and available support persons, suggesting that the treating clinicians were making these discharge decisions for admission in keeping with those limited guidelines, although the balance of benefits and harms of psychiatric hospitalisation are not established. Future research examining patient experiences, effectiveness of psychiatric hospitalisation, and alternatives to hospitalisation is warranted.

Indigeneity and Likelihood of Discharge to Psychiatric Hospital in an Australian Deliberate Self-Poisoning Hospital-Treated Cohort.

Hospital-treated self-harm rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) people are at least double those for other Australians. Despite this, limited research has explored the relationship between Indigeneity and the clinical management of hospital-treated deliberate self-harm. A retrospective clinical cohort study (2003-2012) at a regional referral centre (NSW) for deliberate self-poisoning was used to explore the magnitude and direction of the relationship between Indigeneity and discharge destination (psychiatric hospital vs. other) using a series of logistic regressions. There were 149 (4%) Indigenous and 3697 (96%) non-Indigenous deliberate self-poisoning admissions during the study period. One-third (31%) were referred to the psychiatric hospital at discharge; Indigenous 21% (n = 32) vs. non-Indigenous 32% (n = 1175). Those who identified as Indigenous were less likely to be discharged to the psychiatric hospital, OR 0.59 (0.40-0.87) at the univariate level, with little change after sequential adjustment; and AOR 0.34 (0.21-0.73) in the fully adjusted model. The Indigenous cohort had a lower likelihood of psychiatric hospital discharge even after adjustment for variables associated with discharge to the psychiatric hospital highlighting the need for further investigation of the reasons accounting for this differential pattern of clinical management and the effectiveness of differential after-care allocation.

ALSUntangled #62: vitamin C.

Vitamin C is one of the most common supplements taken by people with ALS. As an antioxidant, it has a plausible mechanism for slowing disease progression and there are some flawed pre-clinical studies and case reports suggesting benefit. However, a small human trial showed no benefit. Given this negative trial, we do not currently advise vitamin C as an ALS treatment.

Effectiveness of Australian youth suicide prevention initiatives.

BACKGROUND: After an epidemic rise in Australian young male suicide rates over the 1970s to 1990s, the period following the implementation of the original National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy (NYSPS) in 1995 saw substantial declines in suicide in young men. AIMS: To investigate whether areas with locally targeted suicide prevention activity implemented after 1995 experienced lower rates of young adult suicide, compared with areas without such activity. METHOD: Localities with or without identified suicide prevention activity were compared during the period of the NYSPS implementation (1995-1998) and a period subsequent to implementation (1999-2002) to establish whether annual average suicide rates were lower and declined more quickly in areas with suicide prevention activity over the period 1995-2002. RESULTS: Male suicide rates were lower in areas with targeted suicide prevention activity (and higher levels of funding) compared with areas receiving no activity both during (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.99, P = 0.030) and after (RR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.96, P = 0.009) implementation, with rates declining faster in areas with targeted activity than in those without (13% v. 10% decline). However, these differences were reduced and were no longer statistically significant following adjustment for sociodemographic variables. There was no difference in female suicide rates between areas with or without targeted suicide prevention activity. CONCLUSIONS: There was little discernible impact on suicide rates in areas receiving locally targeted suicide prevention activities in the period following the NYSPS.

Development of a Self-Harm Monitoring System for Victoria.

The prevention of suicide and suicide-related behaviour are key policy priorities in Australia and internationally. The World Health Organization has recommended that member states develop self-harm surveillance systems as part of their suicide prevention efforts. This is also a priority under Australia's Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a state-based self-harm monitoring system in Victoria, Australia. In this system, data on all self-harm presentations are collected from eight hospital emergency departments in Victoria. A natural language processing classifier that uses machine learning to identify episodes of self-harm is currently being developed. This uses the free-text triage case notes, together with certain structured data fields, contained within the metadata of the incoming records. Post-processing is undertaken to identify primary mechanism of injury, substances consumed (including alcohol, illicit drugs and pharmaceutical preparations) and presence of psychiatric disorders. This system will ultimately leverage routinely collected data in combination with advanced artificial intelligence methods to support robust community-wide monitoring of self-harm. Once fully operational, this system will provide accurate and timely information on all presentations to participating emergency departments for self-harm, thereby providing a useful indicator for Australia's suicide prevention efforts.

Insight in substance use disorder: A systematic review of the literature.

Insight refers to a person's understanding of themselves and the world around them. Recent literature has explored people's insight into their substance use disorder (SUD) and how this is linked to treatment adherence, abstinence rates, and comorbid mental health symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise and critically examine the existing literature on insight in SUD. Five academic databases (Medline, PsychINFO, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science) were searched for key terms related to insight and substance use. Included studies were on humans aged 18 years or over with SUD that examined the relationship between substance use and insight using a quantifiable measure of insight. Of 10,067 identified papers, 20 met the inclusion criteria, employing 13 different measures of insight. The most commonly used measure was the Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale (HAIS) which was the only measure designed for a substance use population and was specific to alcohol use. Based on a pooled sample from five studies (n = 585), 57% of participants had poor insight, 36% had fair insight, and 7% had good insight on the HAIS. Better insight was generally related to negative consequences from substance use, better treatment adherence and maintaining abstinence. Insight appears to be an important factor to consider within SUD. Exploring the most appropriate way to measure insight and assess its role in SUD has implications for intervention design, and engaging and maintaining people with SUD in treatment.

Further increases in rural suicide in young Australian adults: secular trends, 1979-2003.

This study investigates changes in Australian urban-rural suicide differentials over time in the context of overall declines in (male) suicide in the late 1990s, and determines the extent to which differences in socio-economic status (SES) account for observed urban-rural trends. Suicide data were stratified for the period 1979-2003 by metropolitan, rural and remote areas and examined across five quinquennia, centred on each Australian census from 1981 to 2001. Suicide rates (per 100,000) were adjusted for confounding by sex, age, country-of-birth and the mediating effects of area SES, using Poisson regression models. Male suicide rates in metropolitan, rural and remote areas diverged significantly over time, especially in young males (15-24 years). Young male suicide rates increased significantly in metropolitan, rural and remote areas over 1979-1998, and in the most recent period (1999-2003) increased further in remote areas from 38.8 (per 100,000) to 47.9 (23% increase). In contrast suicide rates in rural areas decreased from a peak of 27.5 to 19.8 (28% decrease), and in metropolitan areas from a peak of 22.1 to 16.8 (24% decrease). Similar divergence in the 1999-2003 quinquennium, though of a lesser magnitude, was also evident for males aged 25-34 years. Female suicide rates in the earlier part of the period were significantly lower in rural and remote areas than in metropolitan areas, particularly for those aged 25-34 years, then increased in rural and remote areas to converge with female suicide rates in metropolitan areas. Adjusting for SES in addition to age and country-of-birth reduced urban-rural suicide differentials in both males and females, consistent with SES being an intermediary between rural residence and suicide. Nevertheless, urban-rural differences remained statistically significant. These results show that the largest urban-rural male suicide differentials for the 25-year study period occurred in the most recent period (1999-2003), in the context of decreasing male suicide rates overall.

HIV Screening and the Affordable Care Act.

Men continue to bear disproportionate accounts of HIV diagnoses. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act aims to address health care disparities by recommending preventative services, including HIV screening, expanding community health centers, and increasing the healthcare workforce. This study examined the decision making of physician and primary care health providers to provide HIV screenings. A quasi-experimental design was used to estimate the effects of the Affordable Care Act on provider-initiated HIV screening. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was used to examine HIV screening characteristic from two time periods: 2009 and 2012. Logistic regression indicated that patient and provider characteristics were associated with likelihood of being prescribed HIV screening. Non-Hispanic Black men were more likely to be prescribed HIV screening compared to non-Hispanic White men (odds ratio [OR] = 12.33, 95% confidence interval [CI; 4.42, 34.46]). Men who see primary care providers were more likely to be prescribed HIV screening compared to men not seeing a primary care provider (OR = 5.94, 95% CI [2.15, 16.39]). Men between the ages of 19 and 22 were more likely to be prescribed HIV screening compared to men between the ages of 15 and 18 (OR = 6.59, 95% CI [2.16, 20.14]). Men between the ages of 23 and 25 were more likely to be prescribed HIV screening compared with men between the ages of 15 and 18 (OR = 10.13, 95% CI [3.34, 30.69]). Health education programs identifying men at increased risk for contracting HIV may account for the increased screening rates in certain populations. Future research should examine age disparities surrounding adolescent and young men HIV screening.