Evaluation and treatment of patients with suicidal ideation

Suicidal ideation is more common than completed suicide. Most persons who commit suicide have a psychiatric disorder at the time of death. Because many patients with psychiatric disorders are seen by family physicians and other primary care practitioners rather than by psychiatrists, it is important that these practitioners recognize the signs and symptoms of the psychiatric disorders (particularly alcohol abuse and major depression) that are associated with suicide. Although most patients with suicidal ideation do not ultimately commit suicide, the extent of suicidal ideation must be determined, including the presence of a suicide plan and the patient's means to commit suicide.     

Depression and suicide assessment

Depressed patients and suicidal patients are common Emergency Department patrons with the potential for serious morbidity or death. Dysphoric mood, vegetative symptoms, and negative perceptions of oneself, the environment, and the future are characteristic of depression. Often, the patient is unaware of the depression and presents with a variety of somatic complaints, chronic fatigue, or pain syndromes. In these instances, the physician must consider the diagnosis of depression and ask the patient about any history of depressive symptoms. In all depressed patients, a careful history and physical examination are needed to identify any drugs or concurrent medical illnesses which might cause or exacerbate the depression. If depression is suspected or if the patient presents after a suicide attempt, then a thorough evaluation of suicide potential is mandatory. Several risk factors for completed suicide exist. Male sex, age under 19 or over 45, few social supports, and a history of previous suicide attempts are all factors associated with increased suicide rates. Concurrent chronic or severe medical illnesses and certain psychiatric illnesses, notably depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse, also increase an individual's risk for suicide. The method of suicide attempt and the chance for rescue must also be considered when determining risk as well as the presence of an organized plan. Acute psychosis in the suicidal patient is an ominous finding and these patients should be admitted to the hospital. The physician must adopt an empathetic and nonjudgmental attitude when caring for potentially suicidal patients. Disposition can be determined after careful evaluation of risk factors, circumstances surrounding the attempt, and the patient's current feelings. Consultation with a psychiatrist or another mental health professional is desirable for any potentially suicidal patient. Many such patients can be safely treated as outpatients with proper referral; certain high-risk individuals will need to be admitted to the hospital. The decision to either hospitalize or discharge can be difficult and the emergency physician should admit the patient if doubt exists.     

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and suicidal behavior

Studies of the neurobiology of suicidal behavior have become an important and integral part of psychiatric research. Over the past several years, studies of the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of suicidality have attracted significant interest of researchers. Multiple lines of evidence including studies of levels of BDNF in blood cells and plasma of suicidal patients, postmortem brain studies in suicidal subjects with or without depression, and genetic association studies linking BDNF to suicide suggest that suicidal behavior may be associated with a decrease in BDNF functioning. Studies of the BDNF function are important for suicide research and prevention because of the multiple reasons including the following: (i) BDNF plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other conditions associated with suicidal behavior. Treatment-induced enhancements of BDNF can facilitate neural integrity and recovery of function in psychiatric disorders, and consequently prevent suicidal behavior; (ii) abnormal BDNF function may be associated with elevated suicidality independently of psychiatric diagnoses. It is possible that treatment-induced improvement in the BDNF function prevents suicidal behavior independently of improvement in psychiatric disorders; (iii) BDNF may be a biological marker of suicidal behavior in certain patient populations. It is to be hoped that the studies of the neurobiology of suicidal behavior will lead to the development of new methods of suicide prevention.     

Assessing suicide risk in stroke patients: review of two cases

Poststroke depression can be accompanied by suicidal ideation, yet reports of suicide among stroke patients are rare. When untreated, depression can become prolonged and severe. Risk factors for suicide include depression, severe insomnia, chronic illness, and organic brain syndrome. Early clinical assessment of suicide risk factors is essential in the rehabilitation setting. Two patients who developed mood disturbances in the acute poststroke period and eventually committed suicide are presented. Neither patient openly expressed suicidal thoughts to staff or family members. Retrospective analysis of medical records was compared to established suicide risk factors reported in the medical literature. Indirect verbal cues and nonverbal behavior patterns indicating potential suicide risk may have been present. Strategies for evaluation and management of suicidal behavior are discussed. These cases emphasize the need for early assessment of suicide risk by the entire rehabilitation team.     

Suicidal ideation in multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To examine risk factors for suicidal ideation among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN: Cohort study linking computerized medical records with a mailed self-report survey. SETTING: Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) region covering the northwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS: VHA patients with MS (N=445) who returned mailed surveys. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Suicidal ideation is assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) suicide item with suicidal ideation more than half the days considered persistent. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one (29.4%) of 445 respondents (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.4%-33.9%) endorsed suicidal ideation, and 35 (7.9%; 95% CI, 5.7%-10.8%) endorsed persistent suicidal ideation over the last 2 weeks. In bivariate analyses, suicidal ideation was associated with younger age, earlier disease course, progressive disease subtype, lower income, not being married, lower social support, not driving, higher levels of physical disability (mobility, bowel, bladder), and depression. Analyses on persistent suicidal ideation yielded similar results. In fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression, only depression severity and bowel disability were independently associated with suicidal ideation. Only depression severity was independently associated with persistent suicidal ideation. By using the 2-question depression screen (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) consisting of the depression and anhedonia items from the PHQ-9, sensitivity and specificity were marginal for suicidal ideation (65.6% and 79.9%) but acceptable for persistent suicidal ideation (88.6% and 71.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation is common among VHA patients with MS, and depression severity is the best risk marker. Brief screening for depression in MS should include the assessment of suicidal ideation.     

精神科住院抑郁症患者自杀预防及护理干预措施专家共识

目的 形成《精神科住院抑郁症患者自杀预防及护理干预措施专家共识》,规范精神科住院抑郁症患者自杀护理干预措施。 方法 运用循证方法及文献分析法提取住院抑郁症患者自杀护理干预措施推荐建议和研究结论,形成共识初稿,通过2轮专家函询及2次专家论证会,结合专家意见,对初稿进行调整、修改和完善,形成共识终稿。 结果 2轮函询专家积极系数均为100%,专家权威系数均为0.924,各指标重要性赋值均数均>3.5分,且变异系数均<0.25,专家肯德尔和谐系数分别为0.182和0.260（均P<0.01）。最终对精神科住院抑郁症患者自杀护理干预操作性定义、自杀风险评估、干预形式、干预时间、干预理论基础、干预一般原则、自杀意念的干预措施、自杀行为的干预措施、特殊人群自杀护理干预要点、干预效果评价及出院后的健康教育计划共11个部分的内容达成一致意见。 结论 该共识为精神科住院抑郁症患者自杀护理干预措施提供指导依据,使精神科住院抑郁症患者的自杀护理干预更规范。     

Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide in veterans

Suicidal behavior is a critical problem in war veterans. Combat veterans are not only more likely to have suicidal ideation, often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but they are more likely to act on a suicidal plan. Especially since veterans may be less likely to seek help from a mental health professional, non-mental-health physicians are in a key position to screen for PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation in these patients. The authors discuss the association of PTSD, depression, and suicide in veterans, keys to assessment of suicide risk, and interventions.     

Literature-based Recommendations for Suicide Assessment in the Emergency Department: A Review

Background

Suicidal ideation and attempted suicide are important presenting complaints in the Emergency Department (ED). The Joint Commission established a National Patient Safety Goal that requires screening for suicidal ideation to identify patients at risk for suicide.

Objectives

Given the emphasis on screening for suicidal ideation in the general hospital and ED, it is important for Emergency Physicians to be able to understand and perform suicide risk assessment.

Methods

A review of literature was conducted using PubMed to determine important elements of suicide assessment in adults, ages 18 years and over, in the ED. Four typical ED cases are presented and the assessment of suicide risk in each case is discussed.

Results

The goal of an ED evaluation is to appropriately determine which patients are at lowest suicide risk, and which patients are at higher or indeterminate risk such that psychiatry consultation is warranted while the patient is in the ED. Emergency clinicians should estimate this risk by taking into account baseline risk factors, such as previous suicide attempts, as well as acute risk factors, such as the presence of a suicide plan.

Conclusion

Although a brief screening of suicide risk in the ED does not have the sensitivity to accurately determine which patients are at highest risk of suicide after leaving the ED, patients at lowest risk may be identified. In these low-risk patients, psychiatric holds and real-time psychiatric consultation while in the ED may not be needed, facilitating more expeditious dispositions from the ED.     

Epilepsy and depression: risk factors for suicide?

Compared to the general population, the suicide rate in epilepsy is 5-fold increased. In particular, patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have a 25-fold increased risk of suicide. Certain psychiatric disorders, including primary mood disorders, also increase the risk for suicide. Among people with epilepsy, psychiatric comorbidity is common, with an elevated rate of Major Depression. A review of the literature about the association between epilepsy, depression and suicide highlights the lack of evaluation of intensity, pervasiveness and characteristics of suicidal ideation in epileptic patients compared with patients with a diagnosis of Major Depression.     

Suicide: a guide to risk factors, assessment, and treatment of suicidal patients

This article summarizes what is known about risk factors for suicide in both adolescent and adult populations. It also translates this knowledge base into practical considerations for the physician on the assessment and treatment of suicidal patients. Since most patients who commit suicide have seen a physician in the weeks to month prior to their deaths, and many kill themselves with medications prescribed by their doctors, the physician's early detection and treatment of suicidal behaviors and associated psychiatric disorders in his or her patients becomes a major suicide prevention strategy.     

Suicidal intent in patients with chronic pain

Suicidal ideation among individuals suffering from chronically painful conditions has not been widely studied, although rates of completed suicide are believed to be elevated in this population relative to the general population. The psychiatric literature on suicide documents the importance of controlling for the severity of depression when studying factors associated with suicidal ideation, attempts, or completion. The present study examined the relationships between suicidal ideation and the experience of pain, pain-related disability, and pain coping efforts among a sample of individuals experiencing chronically painful conditions. Of 200 patients evaluated on an inpatient rehabilitation unit in a psychiatric service, 13 individuals (6.5%) reported suicidal intent on a commonly used self-report measure of symptoms of depression, the Beck Depression Inventory. This group was compared to a matched (age, sex, pain duration) group of similarly depressed individuals (N=13) and a matched group of non-depressed individuals (N=13) on measures of pain, disability, pain beliefs, and pain coping strategies. A history of a suicide attempt was associated with suicidal intent. Family history of substance abuse was significantly more prevalent among the depressed groups, regardless of suicidal thinking. The depressed/suicidal group and depressed/non-suicidal groups reported higher levels of pain, higher levels of pain-related disability, lower use of active coping, and higher use of passive coping compared to the non-depressed group. The depressed groups did not differ from one another on any of the measures of pain experience. Depression, not suicidal status, consistently predicted level of functioning. The prevalence of suicidal intent was comparable to rates observed in other studies and relatively low. When individuals with chronic pain report suicidal intent, it is imperative that measures preventing self-harm be implemented immediately and the patient's depression be treated aggressively.     

Evaluation and treatment of the suicidal patient

Evaluation and treatment of a suicidal patient are challenging tasks for the physician. Because no validated predictive tools exist, clinical judgment guides the decision-making process. Although there is insufficient evidence to support routine screening, evidence shows that asking high-risk patients about suicidal intent leads to better outcomes and does not increase the risk of suicide. Important elements of the history that permit evaluation of the seriousness of suicidal ideation include the intent, plan, and means; the availability of social support; previous suicide attempts; and the presence of comorbid psychiatric illness or substance abuse. After intent has been established, inpatient and outpatient management should include ensuring patient safety and medical stabilization; activating support networks; and initiating therapy for psychiatric diseases. Care plans for patients with chronic suicidal ideation include these same steps, as well as referral for specialty care. In the event of a completed suicide, physicians should provide support for family members who may be experiencing grief complicated by guilt, while also activating their own support networks and risk management systems.     

Suicide: recognition and management

Patient suicide is a common clinical problem. In the United States, 28,000 people commit suicide annually, and most of these victims have had a consultation with a physician during the 6 months preceding death. Two conditions frequently associated with suicide are affective disorders and alcoholism, and recognition and management of these conditions will help to prevent many suicides. Hospitalized patients seem to be at high risk for suicide--particularly apparent victims of "accidents", which may be well-disguised suicide attempts. Physicians should be aware of verbal and behavioral warning signs of suicidal tendencies in patients, such as a morbid preoccupation with death, giving away possessions, and poor work or school attendance. Empathic listening and intervention by the physician should lead to suggestions for alternative resolutions to the problem that prompted the suicidal behavior and should decrease the level of perturbation. Hospitalization should be considered for the suicidal patient with impaired rational thinking or severe depression.     

Suicidal behavior in psychiatric emergency room patients

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric emergency room (ER) patients are thought to be at increased risk of suicide. The prevalence and characteristics of suicidal behavior in a recent sample of patients who came to the ER for psychiatric evaluation were examined. METHODS: Charts of 311 consecutive psychiatric ER patients were reviewed. Suicidal behavior was considered present if current suicidal ideation or attempts within 24 hours of or during the emergency evaluation were noted in the chart. RESULTS: Suicidal behavior was present in 38% of the psychiatric ER patients. Younger age, white race, affective disorders in female patients, and substance abuse disorders in male patients were features of the suicidal group. Sex of the patient was not associated with suicidal behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal behavior is prevalent in the psychiatric ER. Effective suicide prevention in this setting will hinge on finding more specific risk factors.     

Overview of existing research and information linking isotretinoin (accutane), depression,psychosis, and suicide

Isotretinoin (Accutane; Hoffmann-La Roche, Nutley, NJ) is a drug closely related to the chemical structure of vitamin A. The pharmacology and toxicology of these two retinoids are similar enough to warrant comparison. Accutane is a powerful drug that its manufacturer, Roche, indicates is limited for severe recalcitrant nodular acne. This potency is also reflected in Accutane's well-known ability to produce severe birth defects if taken during pregnancy. Less well known is the risk of this lipid-soluble chemical to affect the central nervous system. Reports of intracranial hypertension, depression, and suicidal ideation with Accutane use have prompted an examination of its serious and life-threatening potential. Although Roche has added a warning to its product label for signs of depression, and suicidal ideation, this product is overprescribed for all forms of acne, including mild and moderate cases that have not been treated with alternative medications with less risk of depression and suicide. There is no contesting that this drug is effective at clearing up the most severe forms of acne, but the public must be informed of the proper limited indication for its use, because depression and suicide can follow in patients with no prior history of psychiatric symptoms or suicide attempts.     

Factors that influence emergency department doctors' assessment of suicide risk in deliberate self-harm patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the patient factors influencing UK Emergency Department doctors' assessment of suicide risk. To establish whether immediate clinical management is consistent with perceived risk. METHODS: The Manchester and Salford Self-Harm project is a multi-centre deliberate self-harm monitoring study. Data collected were used to analyse risk assessments made by Emergency Department doctors between September 1997 and August 1999. We used univariate and logistic regression analyses to determine the factors Emergency Department doctors used to make suicide risk assessments. RESULTS: A total of 3220 deliberate self-harm assessment forms were completed in two years by Emergency Department doctors; 2922 (91%) included a clinical assessment of risk; 28 out of 48 variables were associated with perceived suicide risk. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that current mental state, high suicidal intent (including medical seriousness of attempt), and male sex were the most important independent predictors of suicide risk. Being referred to psychiatric services directly from the Emergency Department or to surgical/medical services was also strongly associated with a perceived high risk. CONCLUSION: In contrast to the negative findings of previous research, we found that Emergency Department doctors were influenced by key risk factors for suicide in their assessment of deliberate self-harm patients. Emergency Department doctors' assessments reflected the immediate risk of suicide, indicated by factors such as current mental state and strong suicidal intent. Background risk factors such as social adversity and psychiatric history were less influential. We would recommend that training for emergency doctors should emphasize the importance of both immediate and background risk factors.     

Cognitive Distortions and Suicide Attempts

Although theorists have posited that suicidal individuals are more likely than non-suicidal individuals to experience cognitive distortions, little empirical work has examined whether those who recently attempted suicide are more likely to engage in cognitive distortions than those who have not recently attempted suicide. In the present study, 111 participants who attempted suicide in the 30 days prior to participation and 57 psychiatric control participants completed measures of cognitive distortions, depression, and hopelessness. Findings support the hypothesis that individuals who recently attempted suicide are more likely than psychiatric controls to experience cognitive distortions, even when controlling for depression and hopelessness. Fortune telling was the only cognitive distortion uniquely associated with suicide attempt status. However, fortune telling was no longer significantly associated with suicide attempt status when controlling for hopelessness. Findings underscore the importance of directly targeting cognitive distortions when treating individuals at risk for suicide .     

Interpersonal problem solving and parasuicide

This study examined the relationship between interpersonal problem solving and suicidal behavior among psychiatric patients. Subjects were 123 psychiatric inpatients, admitted for current parasuicide, serious suicide ideation, or non-suicide-related complaints. A group of 16 orthopedic surgery patients was included to control for hospitalization trauma and current stress. All subjects completed a revised version of the Means-End Problem Solving Procedure, the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and a suicide expectancy measure. Psychiatric patients scored lower than the medical control group on the assertive schedule, but no differences were noted as a function of suicidal behavior status. Psychiatric patients expected suicide to solve problems more than did controls. Suicidal patients had higher expectancies than did nonsuicidal patients. Active interpersonal problem solving did not distinguish suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatric patients but did separate parasuicides from suicide ideators. Among patients without a parasuicide history, less active and greater passive problem solving discriminated first-time parasuicides from suicide ideators and nonsuicidals. Results suggest that assertion deficits may characterize the psychiatric population in general, but suicidal behavior within psychiatric patients may be related to lower active problem solving.This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant NIMH No. 5 ROI MH34486-03 to Marsha M. Linehan.     

Suicidal ideation in outpatients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: an exploratory study of the role of sleep onset insomnia and pain intensity

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disturbance, depression, and heightened risk of suicide are among the most clinically significant sequelae of chronic pain. While sleep disturbance is associated with suicidality in patients with major depression and is a significant independent predictor of completed suicide in psychiatric patients, it is not known whether sleep disturbance is associated with suicidal behavior in chronic pain. This exploratory study evaluates the importance of insomnia in discriminating suicidal ideation in chronic pain relative to depression severity and other pain-related factors. METHODS: Fifty-one outpatients with non-cancer chronic pain were recruited. Subjects completed a pain and sleep survey, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Subjects were classified as "suicidal ideators" or "non-ideators" based on their responses to BDI-Item 9 (Suicide). Bivariate analyses and multivariate discriminant function analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent reported suicidal ideation (without intent). Suicidal ideators endorsed higher levels of: sleep onset insomnia, pain intensity, medication usage, pain-related interference, affective distress, and depressive symptoms (P < 0.03). These 6 variables were entered into stepwise discriminant function analyses. Two variables predicted group membership: Sleep Onset Insomnia Severity and Pain Intensity, respectively. The discriminant function correctly classified 84.3% of the cases (P < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: Chronic pain patients who self-reported severe and frequent initial insomnia with concomitant daytime dysfunction and high pain intensity were more likely to report passive suicidal ideation, independent from the effects of depression severity. Future research aimed at determining whether sleep disturbance is a modifiable risk factor for suicidal ideation in chronic pain is warranted.     

‘Promoting and preserving safety and a life‐oriented perspective’: A qualitative study of nurses’ interactions with patients experiencing suicidal ideation

Suicide prevention is an important imperative in psychiatric hospitals, where nurses have a crucial role in and make essential contributions to suicide prevention and promoting the recovery of patients experiencing suicidal ideation. The present qualitative grounded theory study aimed to uncover and understand the actions and aims of nurses in psychiatric hospitals during their interactions with patients experiencing suicidal ideation. Interviews were conducted with 26 nurses employed on 12 wards in four psychiatric hospitals. The data analysis was inspired by the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven. The findings show that nurses’ actions and aims in their interactions with patients experiencing suicidal ideation are captured in the core element ‘promoting and preserving safety and a life‐oriented perspective’. This core element represents the three interconnected elements ‘managing the risk of suicide’, ‘guiding patients away from suicidal ideation’, and ‘searching for balance in the minefield’. The enhanced understanding of nurses’ actions and aims can inform concrete strategies for nursing practice and education. These strategies should aim to challenge overly controlling and directing nursing approaches and support nurses’ capacity and ability to connect and collaborate with patients experiencing suicidal ideation.