[Crossed views on depressive symptomatology with suicidal expression in the elderly]. / Regards croisés sur la symptomatologie dépressive à expression suicidaire du sujet âgé.

Presentation of the clinical situation of Mrs. M. The mobile psychiatric team of the Marchant hospital in Toulouse (31) is requested by the coordinating physician of an establishment for dependent elderly people for an evaluation of the mood with suicidal risk in this 92 year old patient who has recently entered the structure.

Épidémiologie descriptive du risque suicidaire dans le système médical français de médecine générale.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide prevention certainly includes a better knowledge of suicide risk in primary care. A number of international publications have shown interest in assessing this risk, but mostly through specific consultant populations: young patients, old patients, anhedonic, depressive, etc. Our study analyses suicide risk prevalence in patients consulting in general medicine for any somatic or psychiatric reason, their pathology or their age. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted with adult patients (827 subjects included) who were consulting a French generalist doctor panel randomly selected. They filled a validated self-questionnaire (aRSD) assessing their suicide risk in the 15 preceding days and providing professional and personal data. RESULTS: The totally operable 757 files (483 female; 274 male) show that close to a quarter of consultants (24.3%) presents with a positive suicide risk in the 15 days preceding their consultation and 6.3%, reveal a severe risk (aRSD ≥ 7) with ideas and impulses to commit the act. When the reason to consult is psychiatric, 64.6% of these consultants have aRSD positive. One time out of two, the risk is even severe. CONCLUSIONS: This data shows how important the suicide risk prevalence is in general medicine. It confirms the main role played by primary care patricians in acting to prevent suicide risk. This data also shows the contribution represented by a self-questionnaire that would rapidly assess the suicide intent while screening, it.

[The patient with intentional drug or alcohol intoxication in the emergency room]. / Le patient avec une intoxication médicamenteuse ou alcoolique aux urgences.

The intoxicated patient is a frequent situation in the emergency department (ED). Assessment and monitoring of somatic risk must be a priority, especially if there is any doubt about the treatments ingested. The risk of suicide, assessed on the patient's arrival, can lead to increased monitoring. Because of the strong interaction between serious psychiatric pathologies and drug intoxication, a psychiatric assessment should be systematically carried out. This is done at a distance from the intoxication, when the patient's condition allows it. In the case of alcohol intoxication associated with psychiatric symptoms or complaints, the assessment should be carried out after a period of sobering up, defined between the ED and psychiatry teams.

[Dyslipidemia and suicidal risk in patients with psychiatric disorders]. / Dyslipidémie et risque suicidaire chez des patients avec maladies psychiatriques.

The aim of this work is to study the association between dyslipidemia and suicidal risk in patients with psychiatric pathology. Our study has involved 155 patients suffering from major depressive disorder and 124 schizophrenic patients aged 40.58±12.16 and 43.43±10.60 years, respectively. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and HDL-c were determined by enzymatic methods, LDL-c was calculated by the Friedewald formula. Plasma cholesterol level was significantly lower among suicidal schizophrenic or depressive patients. There were no significant differences in the others lipid levels. The results of our study suggest that total cholesterol values less than 3.59mmol/L could be an indicator of suicide vulnerability in patients with schizophrenia or major depressive disorder.

[Poor self-esteem is correlated with suicide intent, independently from the severity of depression]. / La faible estime de soi est corrélée à l'intentionnalité suicidaire, indépendamment de la sévérité de la dépression.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a major Public Health concern, and low self-esteem might represent a major risk factor. Our main objective was to assess the correlation between self-esteem and suicide intent. More specifically, we aimed to examine the relationship between the different dimensions of self-esteem (total, general, familial, professional and social) and suicide intent. We also sought the role of depression in the relationship of self-esteem to suicide intent. METHOD: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a suicide prevention department at the CMME (Sainte-Anne Hospital, Paris, France). We included patients aged 15 and older and admitted for suicide attempt over a 3-year period from January 2008 to December 2010. Self-esteem was assessed with the Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) scale that takes into account several domains of self-esteem. Subjects scoring over 5 points on the lie scale were excluded. Our primary endpoint was the correlation between self-esteem and suicide intent. Our secondary endpoint was the same correlation adjusted for depression severity (using the Hamilton scale). Suicide intent was estimated using Beck's Suicide Intentionality Scale (SIS). We examined the Pearson's correlation coefficients between self-esteem and suicide intent. These analyses were adjusted for the severity of depressive symptoms assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (17 items). RESULTS: Overall, 132 patients were included. Suicide intent was correlated with total self-esteem (r=-0.227, P=0.009), social self-esteem (r=-0.331, P<0.001) and familial self-esteem (r=-0.260, P=0.003). These results remained significant after adjusting for the level of depression for total score (r=-0.181, P=0.038), and the social (r=-0.282, P=0.001) and familial (r=-0.237, P=0.006) dimensions. CONCLUSION: Self-esteem (and especially social and familial dimensions) is likely to be associated with suicide intent, at least in part independently of the severity of depression, in a population of subjects hospitalized for suicide attempt. This correlation was strongest with social self-esteem. The main limitation of this monocentric study is the lack of representative sample. Nevertheless, this result paves the way for future strategies of suicide prevention, especially those dealing with poor self-esteem.

[An overview of suicide risk in adolescence]. / Un état des lieux du risque suicidaire à l'adolescence.

Suicidal behaviour in adolescence is a major public health issue. It is the consequence of a sum of individual, relational and environmental difficulties that weaken the subject in a period of great vulnerability. The main aspects of their care consist in developing a good therapeutic link and adapting the adolescent's environment. Prevention is the concern of everyone, especially healthcare professionals who are regularly consulted before suicidal acts.

[Acceptability of the systematic screening of suicidal adolescents in emergency departments]. / Acceptabilité du dépistage systématique des adolescents suicidants aux urgences.

Studies of adolescent suicide screening tools have increased with the development of questionnaires that can be used in paediatric emergency departments. This article proposes a literature review of the acceptability of such interventions. Although these tools are well accepted when they are systematized, their usefulness is determined by the availability of child psychiatric care with the right balance between the adolescent's confidentiality and parental involvement.

[Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in adolescence among migrants]. / Idées suicidaires et tentatives de suicide à l'adolescence en contexte migratoire.

Migration is an experience with a creative and dynamic potential, but it can also serve to further isolate people. Migrant adolescents and ethnic minorities with a migrant background are particularly vulnerable to suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour. International studies show a significant prevalence of suicide attempts among migrants and their children. Intergenerational conflicts and the family environment, for example poor communication and lack of parental support, are risk factors for suicidal behaviour in migrant adolescents. The valorisation of the culture of origin could contribute to the feeling of 'cultural continuity' which is a protective factor of the suicidal risk.

[Management and prevention of the suicide risk of the detained patient]. / Prendre en charge et prévenir le risque suicidaire du patient détenu.

Established in 2010, the specially equipped hospital units are designed to meet the mental health needs of detainees. They can receive, in full hospitalization, psychiatric care suitable to their needs. A Nancy team testifies to its practice with a focus on prevention against suicidal risk.

[Suicide and evaluation. Review of French tools: Non-dimensional approach and self-assessment]. / Suicide et évaluation. Revue des outils disponibles en français : approche non dimensionnelle et autoquestionnaires.

Suicide prevention represents a major challenge to public health, and the suicide risk is a permanent concern in psychiatry. But the main difficulty is its diagnosis. What resources are available in French which seem to help therapists in this process? We can distinguish the non-dimensional approach, the use of self-administered questionnaires or interviewer-administrated questionnaires. In this paper, for reasons of editing constraints, we are interested only in a non-dimensional approach and direct assessment measures by self-assessment, analysing the strengths and limitations of each and taking into account scientific studies that have been devoted to them and their clinical relevance. We first considered various aspects of non-dimensional approach through suicidal risk factors research, suicidal emergency and suicidal potential concepts, Shea approach, the model of Mann and some recommended evaluations. This type of approach has a number of advantages, but also limitations. Dimensional approach allows going further. In this article, we also discuss the existing self-assessment tools in French as for example dedicated item for Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or specific scales such as Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), Suicidal Probability Scale (SPS), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and self-administered Suicide Risk Assessment Scale of Ducher (aRSD). These last two seem to be used as a priority regarding result of their validation studies. The strong correlation between the self-administered questionnaire aRSD and the interviewer-administered Suicide Risk Assessment Scale of Ducher RSD (r=0.92; P<10(-7)) shows the ability of patients to express their suicidal ideation if we want to invite them to do so.

[A tool for the identification and care management of depression in the elderly]. / Un outil de repérage et de prise en soin de la dépression chez la personne âgée.

Tools on the theme of depression have been developed as part of the MobiQual programme which aims to improve the quality of professional practices in geriatric and gerontology facilities and in patients' homes. The scientific and pedagogical content was created by multi-disciplinary and multi-professional task forces, with the participation of the relevant national federations.

[Suicidal ideas in psychiatric emergency departments: prospective study comparing self- and hetero-assessment]. / Idées suicidaires aux urgences psychiatriques : étude prospective comparant auto- et hétéro-évaluation.

OBJECTIVE: Many suicide victims had contacts with an emergency department before their attempt. We aimed to determine whether patients coming to a psychiatric emergency department were well assessed concerning their suicidal risk, and to test an easy to fill in scale rapidly assessing suicidal risk. METHOD: We conducted a descriptive epidemiological survey in Marseille. The source population was all patients admitted to the psychiatric emergency department. We used a booklet containing three questionnaires for "nurse", "psychiatrist" and "patient". We estimated the suicidal risk using both a visual analogue scale (similar for patients and caregivers), and validated scales on self-assessment (scale of suicidality SBQ-R and the Beck Hopelessness Scale). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The questionnaire results have shown that people who visited a psychiatric emergency department presented a significant suicidal risk on several criteria: socio-demographic criteria (social isolation, low level of education, low number of people with a job), psychiatric history (rate of pre-existing psychiatric disorders significantly higher than in the general population, high proportions of family and personal history of suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, and people with a psychiatrist). Six percent of patients claimed to have come to an emergency unit for suicidal ideas but they were ten times more with a suicidal risk, according to the SBQ-R score. The suicidal risk self-assessed by patients on our visual analogue scale was well correlated with SBQ-R scale and Beck Hopelessness scale, but was not well correlated with the evaluation of caregivers. CONCLUSION: Hence, the analog scale we created is easy to use and seems to be a good tool for suicidal risk estimation when it is self-assessed by patients in our study population.

Suicidal Ideation in Canadian Family Caregivers for a Person with Dementia: A Portrait of the Situation.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and potential associations (i.e., strength and direction) with caregiver characteristics or factors. A targeted survey was distributed to dementia caregivers aged 55+ years. Questions concerning psychological distress, suicidal thoughts while caregiving and antecedents of suicidal behaviours were administered. A sample of 71 French-speaking Canadian caregivers completed the survey between May and October 2019. Among them, 52.1 per cent (n = 37) reported suicidal ideation while providing care to a relative or a friend living with dementia. Caregivers who presented suicidal ideation reported more abusive behaviour toward the care recipient. Caregivers who reported suicidal thoughts were significantly more distressed than caregivers without them on measures of burden, depression, and anxiety. Suicidal thoughts in caregivers are important evaluation targets, primarily for the prevention of suicide, but also because caregivers who report suicidal thoughts also present a heightened risk for abusing the care recipient.

[Treatment of depressive mixed states]. / Le traitement des dépressions mixtes.

Mixed states are a frequent mood state characterized by the mixture of manic and depressive symptoms. Their clinical description has been studied for centuries but has known a renewal of interest recently. Several authors intend to redefine its diagnostic criteria to develop an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Current recommendations suggest to treat mixed depression as a mixed state whatever the dominant polarity is, and therefore according to the rules of therapeutic management of the manic state. Mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications are indicated and have proven their effectiveness. Lithium, which was considered controversial, now appears to have some therapeutic value, especially in the prevention of suicidal behavior. The depressive component of mixed states, even pronounced, should not be an argument for a prescription of antidepressants, at the risk of aggravating clinical components such as irritability and impulsivity and increasing the danger of suicide attempt. Furthermore, electroconvulsivetherapy represents a real alternative ; psychotherapies have their place in relapse prevention and psychoeducation, but not during acute phases. Finally, an accurate assessment and appropriate management of suicide risk should be a constant concern for the clinicians.