Changes in meteorological conditions as near-term risk factors for suicide attempts.

To evaluate the impact of acute meteorological changes (i.e., maximum temperature, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, cloud coverage, visibility, precipitation) as situational risk factors proximal (i.e., present in the hours directly preceding) to suicide attempts. Participants were 578 adult patients who were hospitalized within 24 h of a suicide attempt at the only Level 1 trauma hospital in the state of Mississippi. Participants completed a semi-structured interview to determine home address and exact timing of their suicide attempt. A within-person, case-crossover design was used with each patient serving as their own control. Meteorological variables were generated for the 6-hours preceding each patient's suicide attempt (case period) and corresponding hours the day prior (control period). Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of suicide attempts, and biological sex and season were evaluated as potential moderators. The presence of precipitation was associated with reduced odds of suicide attempts. Wind speed was marginally positively associated with suicide attempts among males, and visibility was positively associated with suicide attempts among females. Maximum temperature was positively associated with suicide attempts in the spring. Wind speed, visibility, maximum temperature, and precipitation (absence of) may represent situational risk factors for suicide attempts. Future studies should evaluate additional near-term situational risk factors and determine how to leverage this information to improve suicide risk management efforts to ultimately ameliorate the burden of suicide.

Generalized anxiety disorder screening scores are associated with greater treatment need among Veterans with depression.

Comorbid anxiety and depression predict a poorer prognosis than either disorder occurring alone. It is unclear whether self-reported anxiety symptom scores identify patients with depression in need of more intensive mental health services. This study evaluated how anxiety symptoms predicted treatment receipt and outcomes among patients with new depression diagnoses in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Electronic medical record data from 128,917 VHA patients (71.6% assessed for anxiety, n = 92,237) with new diagnoses of depression were analyzed to examine how Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores predicted psychotropic medication prescriptions, psychotherapy receipt, acute care service utilization, and follow-up depression symptoms. Patients who reported severe symptoms of anxiety were significantly more likely to receive adequate acute phase and continuation phase antidepressant treatment, daytime anxiolytics/sedatives, nighttime sedative/hypnotics, and endorse more severe depression symptoms and suicidal ideation at follow-up. Patients who reported severe symptoms of anxiety at baseline were less likely to initiate psychotherapy. The GAD-7 may help identify depressed patients who have more severe disease burden and require additional mental health services.

Do measures of social support and social distress share general factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempts?

INTRODUCTION: Aspects of social relationships have variably been associated with suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs). This study assessed whether social support and social distress measures have general factors versus measure-specific factors that are associated with suicide risk. METHODS: Adults (N = 455, 60.0% female), admitted to psychiatric inpatient units following a recent suicide attempt or active SI, completed assessments of social support (emotional support, instrumental support, friendship, perceived support from significant others, friends, family) and social distress (loneliness, perceived rejection, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness). Bifactor modeling examined general and specific factors of social support and distress in relation to SI (week prior to hospitalization, via the Beck Scale for SI) and SAs (past 30 days, via the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale). RESULTS: SI was significantly associated with the general social support (B = -1.51), the general social distress (B = 1.67), and the specific perceived burdensomeness (B = 1.57) factors. SAs were significantly associated with the specific Perceived Rejection (OR = 1.05) and Thwarted Belongingness (OR = 0.91) factors. CONCLUSION: General social support and social distress were associated with SI but not recent SAs. Specific social distress factors were also related to SI and SAs controlling for general social distress, suggesting areas for future interventions.

Depression symptom outcomes and re-engagement among VA patients who discontinue care while symptomatic.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate outcomes of Veterans who discontinued treatment with at least moderate ongoing depressive symptoms. METHOD: Veterans with elevated depression symptoms from 29 Department of Veterans Affairs facilities completed baseline surveys and follow-up assessments for one year. Analyses examined rates and predictors of treatment discontinuation, treatment re-engagement, and subsequent symptoms among patients who remained out of care. RESULTS: A total of 242 (17.8%; n = 1359) participants discontinued treatment while symptomatic, with Black participants, participants with less severe depression, and participants receiving only psychotherapy (versus combined psychotherapy and antidepressant medications) discontinuing at higher rates. Among all participants who discontinued treatment (n = 445), 45.8% re-engaged within the following six months with participants receiving combined treatment re-engaging at higher rates. Of participants who discontinued while symptomatic within the first 6 months of the study and did not return to care (n = 112), 68.8% remained symptomatic at 12 months. Lower baseline treatment expectancy and greater depression symptom severity were associated with remaining symptomatic while untreated. CONCLUSIONS: Black race, lower symptom severity, and treatment modality may help identify patients at higher risk for discontinuing care while symptomatic, whereas patients with lower treatment expectations may be at greater risk for remaining out of care despite continuing symptoms.