Uncovering the role of substance use in suicide attempts using a mixed-methods approach.

INTRODUCTION: Substance use is an established risk factor for suicide attempt. Clarifying the role of substance use in suicide attempts may identify modifiable treatment targets. This study used mixed methods to associate substance use with suicide attempt history and identify pathways through which substance use contributes to attempts. METHODS: Study 1 included 213 adult inpatients (n = 127 with substance use disorder [SUD]), who completed assessments of suicide attempt history as well as demographic and clinical suicide risk factors. Study 2 was a narrative analysis of suicide attempt stories described by 20 inpatients diagnosed with SUD. RESULTS: In Study 1, patients with co-occurring alcohol and drug use disorders reported more actual lifetime suicide attempts than did those without SUD. In addition, alcohol and drug use disorders were independently associated with lifetime suicide attempts after controlling for demographic and clinical confounders. In Study 2, substance use played a role in all suicide attempts through at least one pathway before, during, or after a triggering stressor, or as suicide attempt method. CONCLUSIONS: Substances play a role in suicide attempt baseline risk, acute risk and as means. It is important to target chronic and acute substance use in suicide prevention treatment plans.

The DIAMOND-KID: Psychometric Properties of a Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-5 Anxiety, Mood, and Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents.

The objective of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of a new semi-structured interview for pediatric psychiatric disorders, which is needed as existing interviews do not cover the full range of anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-related disorders. Three hundred eleven child patients (aged 10-17) were administered the Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders-Child and Adolescent Version (DIAMOND-KID). Of these, 65 provided interrater reliability data and 59 provided test-retest reliability data. Participants also completed self-report measures that assessed symptoms of anxiety, mood, and OCD and related disorders. Although parents/guardians could participate in the interview at the clinician's discretion, most of the initial interviews and all of the reliability interviews were based on the child's self-report. Test-retest reliability ranged from very good to excellent. Interrater reliability was more variable, with estimates for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder in the questionable range; the other interrater reliability estimates ranged from good to very good. Convergent validity was established by significant between-group comparisons on applicable self-report measures for all diagnoses. The results of the present study indicate that the DIAMOND-KID is a promising semi-structured diagnostic interview for 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in pediatric populations.

The classification of suicide gestures: Examining the validity, measurement, and level of intent of a controversial construct.

INTRODUCTION: The inclusion of suicide gestures in modern nomenclatures for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) is contentious due to their history of pejorative connotations and inconsistent operationalization and measurement. Here we sought to investigate the extent to which participants who endorse this behavior on a standardized SITB measure: (1) describe their behavior in a way that is consistent with contemporary definitions for suicide gestures; (2) accurately classify their behavior when presented with multiple SITB response options; and (3) consistently report their level of intent to die across survey items. METHODS: Participants were 83 adults from a community-based sample who endorsed lifetime suicide gesture(s) in an online survey containing self-report measures assessing their prior SITB engagement, followed by open-ended questions eliciting narrative descriptions of their behaviors. RESULTS: Approximately 13% of participants who endorsed lifetime suicide gestures provided narrative descriptions that met criteria for the behavior, and around one-third consistently reported zero intent to die in their explicit ratings. Additionally, some participants reported non-zero intent to die from behaviors without direct potential for physical injury. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study highlights substantial issues with the validity of current approaches to measuring suicide gestures. Implications for the classification of suicide gestures in clinical and research settings are discussed.

Digital bibliotherapy as a scalable intervention for suicidal thoughts: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a major public health concern in the United States, but few effective and scalable interventions exist to help those with suicidal thoughts. We hypothesized that reading first-person narratives about working through suicidal thoughts would reduce the desire to die among adults and that this effect would be mediated by increased perceived shared experience and optimism. METHOD: Using a randomized waitlist-controlled trial, we tested the effect of digital narrative-based bibliotherapy among 528 adults visiting a social media platform dedicated to providing mental health support. Participants were randomized to either a treatment condition (n = 266), in which they read one suicide narrative per day for 14 days or to a waitlist control condition (n = 262). The primary outcome was a measure of desire to die assessed daily for the 14-day trial period and at 2-week follow-up. RESULTS: Participants in the treatment condition reported lower desire to die than participants in the control condition during the 14-day trial period (ß = -0.26, p = .001) and at 2-week follow-up (t = -2.82, p = .005). Increased perceived shared experience (indirect effect b = -0.55, p < .001) and optimism (indirect effect b = -0.85, p < .001) mediated the effect of treatment on desire to die. CONCLUSIONS: Digital narrative-based bibliotherapy may be an effective intervention for those at risk for suicide, and may work in part by increasing feelings of perceived shared experience and optimism. Future research is needed to test the generalizability of these results to other platforms, groups, and conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Can We Build 'Somewhere That You Want to Go'? Conducting Collaborative Mental Health Service Design with New Zealand's Young People.

Globally, young people are at high risk of mental health problems, but have poor engagement with services. Several international models have emerged seeking to address this gap by providing youth-specific care designed in collaboration with young people. In this study, 94 young people in New Zealand participated in collaborative workshops exploring their vision of an ideal mental health service. Participants were aged 16-25. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify seven themes. These describe the ideal mental health service for these young people as comfortable, accessible, welcoming, embedded in the community, holistic, adaptable, and youth-focused. In addition to describing how services might better serve the needs of youth, this article outlines a method for adapting international principles for youth-friendly care to the specific needs of a population of young people. This article provides supporting evidence that services should consider how to improve their engagement with youth through collaboration with local populations of young people.