Antisuicidal effect of lithum in bipolar disorder: is there an age-specific effect?

OBJECTIVE: Our group reported previously a comparable overall antisuicidal effect of lithium and valproate in bipolar patients. We investigated factors associated with higher antisuicidal efficacy of lithium in older individuals. METHODS: The age-related antisuicidal effect of lithium and valproate was compared in ninety-four (n = 94) high-risk bipolar suicide attempters who participated in a 2.5-year randomized, double-blind trial. RESULTS: Age significantly moderated the effect of lithium vs. valproate on the risk of suicide event during the study (z = -1.98, p = 0.049). We found that those who were 42 years or older (above the 75th percentile), and on lithium had significantly lower risk of suicidal behavior than older patients on valproate (>42y) or younger (<42 y) patients on either medication (interaction HR = 0.09, 95%CI: 0.01-0.89, z = -2.07, p = 0.039). This difference in risk differences was not explained away by age-related differences in the proportion of participants with bipolar II disorder (Fisher's test p = 0.020) or higher lethality of past suicide attempts in younger participants (Wilcoxon test p = 0.024); neither was there any correlation with age in the longitudinally measured blood lithium levels (t = 1.04, df = 36, p = 0.307) or valproate levels (t = -0.50, df = 41, p = 0.621). LIMITATIONS: Besides the fact that this is a secondary analysis, a limitation is that the study is not powered to detect suicide deaths or suicide attempts. CONCLUSION: Bipolar patients randomized to lithium and older than 42 years had less suicidal behavior compared to same aged patients on valproate or younger patients (<42 y) on either medication. This effect was independent of clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.

Bosnian Paternal War Orphans: Mental Health in Postwar Time.

ABSTRACT: More research on the medium- and long-term effects of childhood exposure to war, including orphanhood, is needed. We compared 50 orphans 1 who lost their father during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) and 50 age- and sex-matched adolescents from two-parent families during 2011-2012 in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral/emotional problems, depression, resilience, maternal mental health, and perceived social support. The two groups differed on sociodemographic factors, that is, number of children, family composition, income, school grades, and refugeehood. Paternal war orphans did not differ in terms of adolescent mental health and resilience from their nonorphaned peers, controlling for sociodemographic variables. The mothers of orphans had comparably more posttraumatic psychopathology. As for perceived resources for social support, orphans identified those comparably more often among distant relatives and in the community, that is, religious officials and mental health professionals, and less often among siblings, paternal grandparents, paternal and maternal uncles/aunts, school friends and teachers. Our findings suggest that contextual factors may play an important role in orphans' postwar mental health.

Suicidal and Self-Harming Preschoolers.

Research on suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behavior (SB) in very young children is scarce. However, in clinical settings, child psychiatrists encounter these constellations repeatedly. Although death by suicide before 10 years of age is rare, suicidal thoughts, and sometimes behaviors, do occur. Indeed, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, considered together, in preschoolers is reported to be 4% to 13%.1-3 Along the more severe end of the suicidal spectrum, a frequency of SB and/or attempts of 1.6% (5 of 306 children)2 and of suicidal plans or attempts of 2% to 3%3 were reported for children 3 to 7 years old. Although the variability in reported prevalence rates might be influenced by factors such as the specific definition of SI/SB used1 and reporting bias (assessment of SI/SB by parent/primary caregiver report), expressions of SI/SB in preschool age are strongly associated with distress, psychopathology (eg, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, impulsivity, nonsuicidal self-directed aggression, abuse/neglect, runaway behavior), parental psychopathology, and family instability.2-6 Notably, the presence of SI/SB in preschool age was a predictor of school-age SI/SB in a prospective longitudinal study.2 Indeed, almost three-fourths of preschoolers with SI/SB reported these behaviors as school-aged children (7-12 years), too,2 which underlines the importance of proper assessment and timely intervention.

Epidemiology of suicide among children and adolescents in Austria, 2001-2014.

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological analyses indicated a decreasing trend of suicide rates for 10-19-year-olds in Austria for the period 1970-2001. However, data from the new millennium are missing. This epidemiological update reports on youth suicide in Austria, covering the period 2001-2014 in order to inform suicide preventive interventions targeting adolescents. METHODS: The data on registered suicides among Austrian minors (10-19 years) and the population size were obtained from Statistics Austria. Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the associations between the suicide methods used and sex, as well as between suicide methods and Austrian federal states. Spearman correlations were calculated to assess time trends in the suicide rates. One-way ANOVA was used to investigate annual suicide rates of age groups 10-14, 15-19, and 10-19 years across the nine Austrian federal states. RESULTS: The total average suicide rate for Austrian minors was 4.57 per 100,000. The male-female ratio was 3.5:1. The total youth suicide rate and male suicide rate significantly declined from 2001 to 2014, whereas there were no significant changes in female rates. More than one third of suicides among Austrian youth occurred through hanging, whereas jumping in front of a moving object was the second-most common suicide method. A spring peak was found, with most suicides occurring in April and May. CONCLUSION: Suicide rates among minors in Austria continue to decrease. The present findings help to inform the ongoing implementation of the National Austrian Suicide Prevention Plan (SUPRA).

Suicidal behavior and attitudes among medical students in the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated suicidal behavior and attitudes of medical students. We are not aware of any previous reports emerging from the Arab world. AIMS: To investigate suicidal behavior and attitudes among medical students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHOD: The prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts as well as attitudes toward suicide and reactions to a hypothetical suicidal friend were assessed using a self-report survey. Furthermore, the survey included the self-assessment of the current mood and religiosity, and socio-demographic information. RESULTS: A group of 115 medical students (mean age 20.7 years, 59.1% female) participated in the survey. The prevalence of lifetime suicidal ideation was 17.5% and of suicide attempts 1.8%. In general, students showed very low acceptability of suicide, strong beliefs in the punishment after death, and highly endorsed communicating problems with parents. Moreover, high acceptance of and support for a suicidal friend were found. Sadness was associated with higher acceptability of suicide and fewer beliefs in punishment after death. Religiosity was associated with less acceptability of suicide, seeing suicide in context of mental illness, communicating problems with parents, and greater support for a suicidal friend. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among medical students in the UAE was in the lower range in international comparison. Negative attitudes toward suicide were accompanied by a strong support for a suicidal friend, and both were related to religiosity.

Predictors of suicide and suicide attempt in subway stations: a population-based ecological study.

Suicidal behavior on the subway often involves young people and has a considerable impact on public life, but little is known about factors associated with suicides and suicide attempts in specific subway stations. Between 1979 and 2009, 185 suicides and 107 suicide attempts occurred on the subway in Vienna, Austria. Station-specific suicide and suicide attempt rates (defined as the frequency of suicidal incidents per time period) were modeled as the outcome variables in bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression models. Structural station characteristics (presence of a surveillance unit, train types used, and construction on street level versus other construction), contextual station characteristics (neighborhood to historical sites, size of the catchment area, and in operation during time period of extensive media reporting on subway suicides), and passenger-based characteristics (number of passengers getting on the trains per day, use as meeting point by drug users, and socioeconomic status of the population in the catchment area) were used as the explanatory variables. In the multivariate analyses, subway suicides increased when stations were served by the faster train type. Subway suicide attempts increased with the daily number of passengers getting on the trains and with the stations' use as meeting points by drug users. The findings indicate that there are some differences between subway suicides and suicide attempts. Completed suicides seem to vary most with train type used. Suicide attempts seem to depend mostly on passenger-based characteristics, specifically on the station's crowdedness and on its use as meeting point by drug users. Suicide-preventive interventions should concentrate on crowded stations and on stations frequented by risk groups.

Suicide rates in the national and expatriate population in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Reports on suicide from the Gulf region are scarce. Dubai is a city with a large expatriate population. However, total and gender-specific suicide rates for the national and expatriate populations are not known. AIMS: To investigate total and gender-specific suicide rates in the national and expatriate population in Dubai and to elicit socio-demographic characteristics of suicide victims. METHODS: Registered suicides in Dubai from 2003 to 2009, and aggregated socio-demographic data of suicide victims were analysed. Suicide rates per 100,000 population were calculated. RESULTS: Suicide rate among expatriates (6.3/100,000) was seven times higher than the rate among the nationals (0.9/100,000). In both groups, male suicide rate was more than three times higher than the female rate. Approximately three out of four expatriate suicides were committed by Indians. The majority of suicide victims were male, older than 30 years, expatriate, single and employed, with an education of secondary school level and below. CONCLUSION: Further research on risk factors for and protective factors against suicide, particularly among the expatriate population, is needed. Epidemiological monitoring of suicide trends at the national level and improvement of UAE suicide statistics would provide useful information for developing suicide prevention strategies.

Moral or religious objections to suicide may protect against suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with bipolar disorder are prone to suicidal behavior, yet possible protective mechanisms are rarely studied. We investigated a possible protective role for moral or religious objections to suicide against suicidal ideation and attempts in depressed bipolar patients. METHOD: A retrospective case control study of 149 depressed bipolar patients (DSM-III-R criteria) in a tertiary care university research clinic was conducted. Patients who reported religious affiliation were compared with 51 patients without religious affiliation in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and history of suicidal behavior. The primary outcome measure was the moral or religious objections to suicide subscale of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI). RESULTS: Religiously affiliated patients had more children and more family-oriented social networks than nonaffiliated patients. As for clinical variables, religiously affiliated patients had fewer past suicide attempts, had fewer suicides in first-degree relatives, and were older at the time of first suicide attempt than unaffiliated patients. Furthermore, patients with religious affiliation had comparatively higher scores on the moral or religious objections to suicide subscale of the RFLI, lower lifetime aggression, and less comorbid alcohol and substance abuse and childhood abuse experience. After controlling for confounders, higher aggression scores (P = .001) and lower score on the moral or religious objections to suicide subscale of the RFLI (P < .001) were significantly associated with suicidal behavior in depressed bipolar patients. Moral or religious objections to suicide mediated the effects of religious affiliation on suicidal behavior in this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Higher score on the moral or religious objections to suicide subscale of the RFLI is associated with fewer suicidal acts in depressed bipolar patients. The strength of this association was comparable to that of aggression scores and suicidal behavior, and had an independent effect. A possible protective role of moral or religious objections to suicide deserves consideration in the assessment and treatment of suicidality in bipolar disorder.

Continuity of depressive disorders from childhood and adolescence to adulthood: a naturalistic study in community mental health centers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare rates of homotypic continuity of childhood- and adolescent-onset depression into adulthood. METHOD: This was a naturalistic, prospective cohort study of children and adolescents receiving psychiatric care at all community mental health centers in Madrid, Spain, from January 1986 to December 2007. Data were obtained from a regional registry wherein all psychiatric visits to public mental health centers are recorded. Patients received their first diagnosis of an ICD-10 F32 or F33 depressive disorder between 6 and 17 years of age and were at least 20 years old at the time of their last visit. Subjects whose first diagnosis was in childhood (aged 6-12 years: depressed-child group) and subjects whose first diagnosis was in adolescence (aged 13-17 years: depressed-adolescent group) were compared in terms of demographic characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity, and rates of homotypic continuity in adulthood. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-eight patients with depressive disorders met inclusion criteria. The depressed-adolescent group had a higher proportion of girls (60.3%) compared to the depressed-child group, but did not differ on other demographic or clinical variables. Most subjects who later received treatment in adult mental health facilities (n = 243; 57.2%; 95% CI, 50.9-57.2) continued to be diagnosed with a depressive disorder. High rates of anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders in adulthood were observed among subjects from both groups. The absence of psychiatric comorbidity prior to age 18 years was associated with homotypic continuity of depressive disorder into adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with adolescent-onset depression and subjects without comorbid psychiatric disorders in youth appear to have a higher level of homotypic continuity into adulthood. Both children and adolescents with depressive disorders are at risk for other psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

An exploratory study of the relationship between diverse life events and specific personality disorders in a sample of suicide attempters.

Personality disorder (PD) increases risk for suicidal behavior. Certain life events (LE) can precipitate suicidal behaviors in patients with PD. A fundamental question is whether specific combinations of LE and PD increase suicidal risk. Four hundred forty-six suicide attempters (SA) were recruited from emergency rooms. We used a healthy control group (n = 515) to identify the best cut-off point for the instrument used to diagnose PD. We used the DSM-IV version of the International Personality Disorder Questionnaire-Screening Questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Social Adjustment Scale to assess PD, Axis I disorders, and LE, respectively. After controlling for Axis I disorders, we found that "Death of spouse" preceded suicidal acts in those with antisocial PD (FET p = 0.024) and patients with narcissistic PD attempted suicide after being Fired at work (FET p = 0.002), among others. Our data suggest the presence of particular LE-PD associations in suicide attempters. Some LE-PD relationships appear independent of Axis I disorders in suicide attempters. This may offer a basis for specific targeted therapies or prevention programs aimed at decreasing suicidal risk.

Child and adolescent suicides in Bosnia and Herzegovina before and after the war (1992-1995).

BACKGROUND: Evidence on youth suicides from Southeastern Europe is scarce. We are not aware of previous reports from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which experienced war from 1992 to 1995. Durkheim's theory of suicide predicts decreased suicide rates in wartime and increased rates afterward. AIMS: To compare child and adolescent suicides in Bosnia and Herzegovina before and after the war. METHODS: Data on youth suicide for prewar (1986-90) and postwar (2002-06) periods were analyzed with respect to prevalence, sex and age differences, and suicide methods. Suicide data from 1991 through 2001 were not available. RESULTS: Overall youth suicide rates were one-third lower in the postwar than in the prewar period. This effect was most pronounced for girls, whose postwar suicide rates almost halved, and for 15-19-year-old boys, whose rates decreased by about a one-fourth. Suicides increased among boys aged 14 or younger. Firearm suicides almost doubled proportionally and were the predominant postwar method, while the most common prewar method had been hanging. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study indicate the need for public education in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the role of firearm accessibility in youth suicide and for instructions on safe storage in households. Moreover, raising societal awareness about suicide risk factors and suicide prevention is needed.

Consistency of immigrant suicide rates in Austria with country-of-birth suicide rates: a role for genetic risk factors for suicide?

Multifaceted evidence (family, twin, adoption, molecular genetic, geographic, and surname studies of suicide) suggests genetic risk factors for suicide. The migrant study design is also informative in this context, but underused. In particular, immigrant studies of suicide with a continental European host country are unavailable. The correspondence of suicide prevalence among 22 immigrant groups in Austria (1970-2006) with those of the homelands during the same period was analyzed. Immigrant and homeland suicide rates were significantly positively associated. Controls for age of suicide victim, immigrant group size, national pride, and quality of life in the homelands left the finding essentially unchanged. This correspondence of immigrant and country-of-birth suicide rates is consistent with the assumption of population differences in the prevalence of genetic risk factors for suicide, for which there is emerging evidence.

Copycat effects after media reports on suicide: a population-based ecologic study.

This study aimed to investigate whether the risk of increased suicide occurrence after reports on suicide is associated with the social characteristics of the reported suicides and whether this varies with similarity between the reported suicides and suicides in the population. We collected reports on all 179 individual suicides named in the 13 largest Austrian nationwide newspapers from 1996 to 2006. Information on social status and sociodemographic characteristics of the reported suicides, on certainty of labelling the death as a suicide, and on the suicide methods applied were extracted from the articles. We conducted logistic regression analyses, with the increase of post-report suicides within 28 days after the reports as dependent variable. In model 1, the increase of suicides that matched the reported individual suicide with regard to age group, sex and suicide method was used as outcome variable. In model 2, the increase of suicides that were different from the reported suicide with regard to these characteristics was the outcome. In model 3, the post-report increase of total suicides was the dependent variable. Celebrity status of the reported suicide, age of the reported suicide between 30 and 64 years, and definitive labelling as a suicide were associated with an increased risk of a post-report increase of similar suicides; criminality (i.e. the individual was reported as suspected or convicted of crime) of the reported suicide was associated with a lower risk of a post-report increase. In dissimilar suicides, none of the variables was associated with a post-report increase of suicides. Celebrity status of the reported suicide was the only predictor of a post-report increase of total suicides. The findings support the hypothesis that social variables of reported suicides impact the risk of post-report copycat behaviour. Evidence of copycat effects seemed to be strongest in suicides that were similar to the respective model with regard to age group, sex, and suicide method.

Specific features of suicidal behavior in patients with narcissistic personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Suicidal behavior is a clinically significant but underestimated cause of mortality in narcissistic personality disorder. Currently, there are no reliable estimates of suicidal behavior for this population. The main objective of this study was to test whether or not suicide attempters diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder are different in terms of impulsivity and expected lethality from suicide attempters with other cluster B personality disorders. METHOD: In a sample of 446 suicide attempters, patients with cluster B personality disorder diagnoses (n = 254) as assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), version of the International Personality Disorder Examination-Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) were compared in terms of expected lethality and impulsivity (measured by the Beck Suicidal Intent Scale and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, respectively). The subjects were admitted to the emergency departments of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital and the Fundación Jiménez Diaz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, between January 1999 and January 2003. RESULTS: Suicide attempts of subjects diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder had higher expected lethality than those of subjects without narcissistic personality disorder (t = -4.24, df = 439, P < .001). There were no differences in expected lethality of the attempts when comparing subjects with and without histrionic personality disorder (t = 0.28, df = 439, P = .795), antisocial personality disorder (t = 0.66, df = 439, P = .504), and borderline personality disorder (t = 1.13, df = 439, P = .256), respectively. Suicide attempters diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder did not significantly differ from suicide attempters without narcissistic personality disorder in terms of impulsivity measures (t = -0.33, df = 442, P = .738), while suicide attempters diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder were significantly more impulsive than suicide attempters without these diagnoses (t = -3.96, df = 442, P < .001; t = -3.88, df = 442, P < .001; and t = -7.44, df = 442, P < .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Narcissistic personality disorder seems to be a distinct group among cluster B personality disorders with regard to suicidal behavior. In contrast to suicide attempters with other cluster B personality disorders, suicide attempters diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder are less impulsive and have suicide attempts characterized by higher lethality. These distinctions may offer a basis for targeted therapies aimed at decreasing suicidal risk in patients with narcissistic personality disorder.

Mental health issues in unaccompanied refugee minors.

Previous studies about unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) showed that they are a highly vulnerable group who have greater psychiatric morbidity than the general population. This review focuses on mental health issues among URMs. Articles in databases PsycINFO, Medline and PubMed from 1998 to 2008 addressing this topic were reviewed. The literature had a considerable emphasis on the assessment of PTSD symptoms. Results revealed higher levels of PTSD symptoms in comparison to the norm populations and accompanied refugee minors. In several studies, age and female gender predicted or influenced PTSD symptoms. The existing literature only permits limited conclusions on this very hard to reach population. Future research should include the analysis of long-term outcomes, stress management and a more thorough analysis of the whole range of psychopathology. Additionally, the development of culturally sensitive norms and standardized measures for diverse ethnic groups is of great importance.

Can media effects counteract legislation reforms? The case of adolescent firearm suicides in the wake of the Austrian firearm legislation.

To assess the impact of the Austrian firearm legislation (1997) on adolescent suicides, we investigated time trends in youth suicide prevalence (1986-2006) with Poisson regression. A temporary increase in firearm suicides after the reform was observed, followed by a continuous decrease. The hypothesis that media reporting triggered the short-term backlash effect is discussed.

Not carried away by a moonlight shadow: no evidence for associations between suicide occurrence and lunar phase among more than 65,000 suicide cases in Austria, 1970-2006.

OBJECTIVES: Belief in lunar effects on abnormal or deviant human behavior ("moon madness") is old, common, perpetuated by the media and notably widespread among health professionals, and may thus have public health consequences. This study investigated lunar effects on one particular outcome (completed suicide) for which the literature appears unsettled, owing to some recent reports with positive findings. METHODS: The timing of all 65,206 suicides (46,451 men; 18,755 women) officially registered in Austria between 1970 and 2006 was analyzed with respect to the phases of the moon. This was the first such study based on national data conducted outside the USA, with the database comprising the second-longest study period and the second-largest sample ever investigated in this subject area. RESULTS: Observed proportions of both male and female suicide occurrence did not deviate from expected proportions during the new, crescent, full, and decrescent moon quarters or from those expected for 3-day windows centered around new and full moon, relative to the interphase. Subgroup analysis (by sex and year), additionally conducted for demonstration purposes, yielded results conspicuously resembling those of related studies with positive findings; namely, sporadically emerging significant findings that were entirely absent in the overall analysis and directionally erratic, thus suggesting they were spurious (false positive). CONCLUSIONS: This large-sample evidence strongly suggests no lunar effects on the timing of completed suicide. Scattered previous evidence in support of such effects in all likelihood was spurious; that is, was due to statistical type 1 errors or erroneously taking calendrical periodicities of suicide occurrence that are real as evidence for lunar effects.

Completed suicide in childhood.

Suicide in children and young adolescents up to 14 years of age has increased in many countries, warranting research and clinical awareness. International reported suicide rates per 100,000 in this young population vary between 3.1 and 0 (mean rate worldwide, approximately 0.6/100.000; male-female ratio, 2:1). Suicide occurs only in vulnerable children; this vulnerability begins with parental mood disorder and impulsive aggression, and family history of suicide. Childhood affective and disruptive disorders and abuse are the most often reported psychiatric risk factors. Suicide becomes increasingly common after puberty, most probably because of pubertal onset of depression and substance abuse, which substantially aggravate suicide risk. Biologic findings are scarce; however, serotonergic dysfunction is assumed. The most common precipitants are school and family problems and may include actual/anticipated transitions in these environments. Suicides in children and young adolescents up to 14 years of age often follow a brief period of stress. Cognitive immaturity/misjudgment, age-related impulsivity, and availability of suicide methods play an important role. Psychologic autopsy studies that focus on suicides in this age group are needed.

The role of moral objections to suicide in the assessment of suicidal patients.

BACKGROUND: Moral and religious objections to suicide (MOS) are reported to be associated with less suicidal behavior in depressed patients, and are proposed to act as a protective factor against suicidal behavior. It is unclear whether MOS are a protective factor against suicide attempt per se, or if this effect is mediated through other variables. METHOD: Depressed inpatients (n=265) reporting low or high MOS were compared on history of suicidal behaviour, demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Patients with low MOS had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts, were more often without religious affiliation, had greater depression severity, hopelessness and trait impulsivity, less anxiety and fewer reasons for living. Logistic regression revealed that lower MOS was independently associated with suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Moral and religious objections to suicide may serve as a protective factor against suicidal acts given their unique association with less suicidal behavior in depressed inpatients.