Dataset Information

Acute risk factors for suicide attempts and death: prospective findings from the STEP-BD study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:Suicide is unfortunately common in psychiatric practice, but difficult to predict. The present study sought to assess which clinical symptoms increase in the months before suicidal behavior in a sample of psychiatric outpatients with bipolar disorder. METHODS:Data from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) trial were used. A total of 103 participants who attempted suicide or died by suicide during the trial were included; a 15% random sample of the remaining participants (n = 427) was used as a comparison sample. Linear mixed models in the six months before suicidal behavior were conducted for each of five proposed acute risk factors for suicidal behavior. Participants were assessed using the Clinical Monitoring Form (CMF) at each visit for the following potential acute risk factors for suicidal behavior: suicidal ideation, loss of interest, anxiety, psychomotor agitation, and high-risk behavior. RESULTS:Each of the five symptoms was elevated overall in individuals who engaged in suicidal behavior (p < 0.05). The severity of both suicidal ideation and loss of interest significantly increased in the months before suicidal behavior (p < 0.001). Anxiety demonstrated comparable effect sizes across multiple models. Psychomotor agitation and high-risk behavior were not significantly elevated before suicidal behavior. CONCLUSIONS:Suicidal ideation, loss of interest and, to a lesser extent, anxiety may represent acute suicide risk factors up to four months before suicidal behavior in outpatients with bipolar disorder. Further investigation of these potential acute risk factors in prospective analyses is warranted.

SUBMITTER: Ballard ED

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4925294 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Acute risk factors for suicide attempts and death: prospective findings from the STEP-BD study.

Ballard Elizabeth D ED Vande Voort Jennifer L JL Luckenbaugh David A DA Machado-Vieira Rodrigo R Tohen Mauricio M Zarate Carlos A CA

Bipolar disorders 20160527 4

<h4>Objectives</h4>Suicide is unfortunately common in psychiatric practice, but difficult to predict. The present study sought to assess which clinical symptoms increase in the months before suicidal behavior in a sample of psychiatric outpatients with bipolar disorder.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) trial were used. A total of 103 participants who attempted suicide or died by suicide during the trial were included; a 15% rand ...[more]

PMID: 27233466

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Project description:IMPORTANCE:Suicide attempts in the US Army have risen in the past decade. Understanding the association between suicide attempts and deployment, as well as method and timing of suicide attempts, can assist in developing interventions. OBJECTIVE:To examine suicide attempt risk factors, methods, and timing among soldiers currently deployed, previously deployed, and never deployed at the time this study was conducted. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study of Regular Army-enlisted soldiers on active duty from 2004 through 2009 used individual-level person-month records to examine risk factors (sociodemographic, service related, and mental health), method, and time of suicide attempt by deployment status (never, currently, and previously deployed). Administrative data for the month before each of 9650 incident suicide attempts and an equal-probability sample of 153?528 control person-months for other soldiers were analyzed using a discrete-time survival framework. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:Suicide attempts and career, mental health, and demographic predictors were obtained from administrative and medical records. RESULTS:Of the 9650 enlisted soldiers who attempted suicide, 86.3% were male, 68.4% were younger than 30 years, 59.8% were non-Hispanic white, 76.5% were high school educated, and 54.7% were currently married. The 40.4% of enlisted soldiers who had never been deployed (n?=?12?421?294 person-months) accounted for 61.1% of enlisted soldiers who attempted suicide (n?=?5894 cases). Risk among those never deployed was highest in the second month of service (103 per 100?000 person-months). Risk among soldiers on their first deployment was highest in the sixth month of deployment (25 per 100?000 person-months). For those previously deployed, risk was highest at 5 months after return (40 per 100?000 person-months). Currently and previously deployed soldiers were more likely to attempt suicide with a firearm than those never deployed (currently deployed: OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 2.9-5.6; previously deployed: OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.8-3.9). Across deployment status, suicide attempts were more likely among soldiers who were women (currently deployed: OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.0-4.0; previously deployed: OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.4-1.7; and never deployed: OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 2.3-2.6), in their first 2 years of service (currently deployed: OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5-2.3; previously deployed: OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.9-2.7; and never deployed: OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 2.7-3.6), and had a recently received a mental health diagnosis in the previous month (currently deployed: OR, 29.8; 95% CI, 25.0-35.5; previously deployed: OR, 22.2; 95% CI, 20.1-24.4; and never deployed: OR, 15.0; 95% CI, 14.2-16.0). Among soldiers with 1 previous deployment, odds of a suicide attempt were higher for those who screened positive for depression or posttraumatic stress disorder after return from deployment and particularly at follow-up screening, about 4 to 6 months after deployment (depression: OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9; posttraumatic stress disorder: OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 2.1-2.8). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:Identifying the timing and risk factors for suicide attempt in soldiers requires consideration of environmental context, individual characteristics, and mental health. These factors can inform prevention efforts.

Project description:ImportancePatients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at an increased risk of attempting suicide. Stimulants, such as methylphenidate hydrochloride, are the most common treatment for ADHD, but the association between their therapeutic use and suicide is unclear.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between methylphenidate and the risk of suicide attempts.Design, setting, and participantsA population-based, electronic medical records database from the Hong Kong Clinical Data Analysis & Reporting System was used to identify 25 629 individuals aged 6 to 25 years who were treated with methylphenidate between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2015. Those who had attempted suicide were included in the analysis. A self-controlled case series design was used to control for time-invariant characteristics of the patients.Main outcomes and measuresRelative incidence of suicide attempt during periods when patients were exposed to methylphenidate compared with nonexposed periods.ResultsAmong 25 629 patients with methylphenidate prescriptions, 154 had their first recorded suicide attempt within the study period; of these individuals, 111 (72.1%) were male; mean (SD) age at baseline was 7.15 (2.19) years. The overall incidence of suicide attempts during methylphenidate treatment was 9.27 per 10 000 patient-years. An increased risk of suicide attempts was detected during the 90-day period before methylphenidate was initiated, with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 6.55 (95% CI, 3.37-12.72). The IRR remained elevated during the first 90 days of treatment (IRR, 3.91; 95% CI, 1.62-9.42) before returning to baseline levels during ongoing treatment (IRR, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.77-2.38). When the risk during the first 90 days of treatment was compared with the 90 days preceding first treatment, the incidence of suicide attempts was not elevated (IRR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.26-2.35).Conclusions and relevanceThe incidence of suicide attempts was higher in the period immediately before the start of methylphenidate treatment. The risk remained elevated immediately after the start of methylphenidate treatment and returned to baseline levels during continuation of methylphenidate treatment. The observed higher risk of suicide attempts before treatment may reflect emerging psychiatric symptoms that trigger medical consultations that result in a decision to begin ADHD treatment. Therefore, this study's results do not support a causal association between methylphenidate treatment and suicide attempts.

Dataset Information

Acute risk factors for suicide attempts and death: prospective findings from the STEP-BD study.

Publications

Acute risk factors for suicide attempts and death: prospective findings from the STEP-BD study.

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