RxPG News : Suicide

Sleep disturbances among the elderly linked to suicide

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:00:00 PST

Self-reported sleep complaints among the elderly serve as a risk factor for completed suicide. The study, conducted by Rebecca Bernert of Florida State University, focused on data that were collected among 14,456 community elders over a 10-year period.

Genetic variations may predispose some men to suicidal thoughts during treatment for depression

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:00:00 PST

Genetic variations may help explain why some men with depression develop suicidal thoughts and behaviors after they begin taking antidepressant medications, while most do not, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Sleep disorder may cause suicidal tendencies

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 12:27:35 PST

London, Jan 7 - People with sleep disorders and nightmares may be prone to developing suicidal tendencies, says a new study.

Suicide rate among NY's ethnic women population alarming

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 18:31:46 PST

New York, Dec 9 - Driven often by cultural or linguistic isolation, young Hispanic women and elderly Asian women here are at exceptionally high risk of attempting or committing suicide, mental health experts have warned.

Suicide Risk associated with Pre- and Postnatal and Early Childhood Factors

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:16:46 PST

Low birth weight, having one or more older siblings, a young mother and parents with non-professional jobs are all independent risk factors for higher suicide risk in later life, according to a new study.

Antidepressants are of questionable benefit in teenage suicide cases

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 17:01:00 PST

There has been much controversy in recent years regarding the correlation between teenage suicide and the use of antidepressant drugs. At an FDA meeting reviewing this topic, the majority of clinical trials examined did not show that the drugs were effective in treating depression in children and adolescents.

Cancer survivors at risk for suicidal thoughts

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 17:42:00 PST

A survey of adult survivors of childhood cancers found that more than one out of eight reported having suicidal thoughts or previous attempts to take their lives many years after they were treated, say scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The suicidal symptoms were reported by more than 12 percent - a greater proportion than had been expected -- of patients seen at a clinic providing care for adult cancer survivors, the researchers write in the August 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings should prompt providers at survivor clinics to consider the interaction of physical and emotional factors in their follow-up evaluations of patients, they said.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) reduced suicide attempts by half - Study

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:57:00 PST

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) reduced suicide attempts by half compared with other types of psychotherapy available in the community in patients with borderline personality disorder, an NIMH-funded study has found. DBT also excelled at reducing use of emergency room and inpatient services and more than halved therapy dropout rates compared to the mostly traditional approaches, report Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., University of Washington, and colleagues in the July 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Oldest Description of Suicidal Thoughts found in an Egyptian Poem

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:38:00 PST

Analysis of an ancient Egyptian poem by a psychiatrist and an Egyptologist shows that it describes the psychopathology of suicide with great accuracy. Dispute over Suicide was a poem written by an unnamed Egyptian writer between 2000 and 1740 BC on papyrus in hieroglyphics.

Babies born in spring may face suicide risk

Tue, 02 May 2006 23:02:00 PST

Babies born in spring may have increasing risk of committing suicide, British researchers have found in a new study that links personality disorders to months in which people are born.

Children of men with stressful jobs face suicide risk

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 12:39:00 PST

The children of men with stressful jobs are at a higher risk of attempting suicide than others, says a study.

Grieving parents at higher suicide risk

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:12:00 PST

Bereaved parents who have cared for their dying child could be at higher risk of suicide and need care, according to research. Little research has been done on suicide rates for such parents, according to two papers published in this week's British Medical Journal.

Suicide: Practice and Perfection

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 05:54:00 PST

In a groundbreaking theory outlined in his new book, "Why People Die By Suicide," (Harvard University Press), Joiner says that those who kill themselves not only want to die, they have learned to overcome the instinct for self-preservation.

Anxiety Disorders Increase Risk Of Suicide

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:39:00 PST

A pre-existing anxiety disorder significantly increases the risk of a subsequent onset of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, according to a study in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Substantial underrecognition of mental illness in emergency departments following self harm

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:04:00 PST

Young people visiting an emergency department following an episode of deliberate self-harm are diagnosed with a mental disorder about half the time, according to a study in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Poorest people are at Highest risk of Suicide

Tue, 05 Jul 2005 22:23:00 PST

The more socio-economic disadvantages a person suffers, the higher the risk of suicide, according to a new European comparative study.

Schizophrenia and suicide: systematic review of risk factors.

Tue, 05 Jul 2005 22:23:00 PST

The most comprehensive review of the international evidence to date on suicide in schizophrenia has found that the key risk factors are: depression, previous suicide attempts, drug misuse, agitation or restlessness, fear of mental disintegration, poor compliance with treatment and recent loss.

Potential role of close friends in preventing suicide - study

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:57:00 PST

The British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) has reported research showing that close friends and relatives play a key role in determining whether or not suicidal people seek help from their GP.

Suicide Risk Increases after Spousal Suicide

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 16:25:00 PST

Women whose partner had first been admitted to a psychiatric unit within the preceding two years were almost seven times as likely to commit suicide as women with partners whose mental health was good.

Risk factors for attempted suicide in depressed psychiatric patients

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 18:32:00 PST

Suicide attempts among psychiatric patients with major depression are strongly associated with the presence and severity of depressive symptoms, and are predicted by the lack of a partner, previous suicide attempts and time spent in depression.

Surprising rate of hidden suicidality among people attending A & E Departments

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 18:32:00 PST

There was a surprising rate of hidden suicidality among those attending a hospital Accident and Emergency department for non-psychiatric reasons, a new study has found.

HIV-positive Women are more likely to Attempt Suicide

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:17:00 PST

Women who are HIV-positive or are abused are more likely to think about or attempt suicide, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, George Washington University and St. Michaels Hospital, in Toronto, Canada. The Hopkins study, consistent with previous research, sheds new light on the extent to which being in an abusive relationship compounds suicide risk for HIV-positive women in particular.

Suicidal behaviour caused by antidepressants 'cannot be ruled out'

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:28:00 PST

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant, yet concerns have arisen that these drugs may induce or worsen suicidal feelings in vulnerable patients. Three studies published in this issue of BMJ shed new light on the benefits and harms of these drugs.

SSRIs Cannot Be Blamed For Increased Suicide Rates, a new study shows

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 09:40:00 PST

Challenging recent claims linking antidepressant use to suicidal behavior, a new study at University Of California, Los Angeles,(UCLA)shows that American suicide rates have dropped steadily since the introduction of Prozac and other serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs.In research published Feb. 1 in the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, the authors caution that regulatory actions to limit SSRI prescriptions may actually increase death rates from untreated depression, the No. 1 cause of suicide.

First case-control study to investigate the relevance of criminal history, psychiatric problems and social integration to suicide in prison

Sun, 05 Dec 2004 06:15:00 PST

All staff should take suicidal behaviour seriously in custodial institutions, according to a new study published in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Suicide rates in prisons exceed the rates in the general population worldwide. Risk factors include long sentences after highly violent crimes, overcrowding, isolation, psychiatric disorders and alcohol and drug misuse. Evidence for suicidal behaviour as a predictor of suicide in prison has been conflicting until now.

New australian study shown that social and economic disadvantage cause mental disorders and suicide attempts

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 06:07:00 PST

Findings from a new study from Australia suggest that mental disorders and suicide attempts are caused by social factors. There is a need for social and economic responses beyond provision of mental health services.
Currently, responses to mental disorders usually focus on diagnosis and treatment; socio-economic conditions are less likely to be considered.

Suicidal thoughts, but not suicide, more common among women

Tue, 02 Nov 2004 15:14:00 PST

One in 38 women and one in 50 men in Britain develop suicidal thoughts each year. But less then one in 200 of these people kill themselves, according to new work published in the November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. The research was carried out by the Office of National Statistics and the University of Bristol.
Surprisingly, whilst more men commit suicide than women, suicidal thoughts are more common in women. The authors comment that possible reasons for the sex-differences in the incidence of suicidal thoughts and suicide may be the differing patterns of help-seeking in men and women or use of more lethal methods by men.

Is suicide contagious? New study suggests imitative suicide occurs among mentally ill

Sun, 25 Jul 2004 23:00:00 PST

A new study has provided indirect evidence that imitative suicide occurs among mentally ill populations, and may account for 10% of suicides by current and recent patients.

Deliberate self-harm among elderly indicates high suicide intent

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 23:15:00 PST

The majority of elderly people who deliberately harmed themselves had high suicide intent, according to a new case control study.