Suicidal Behavior In Young Adults Research Articles

Examining optimism and flourishing as protective factors of suicidality across the adult lifespan: A cross-sectional investigation in three Spanish age groups

We examined optimism and flourishing as unique protective predictors of suicidality (viz., suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors) in a cross-sectional study of young adults (18–35 years), middle-aged adults (36–55 years), and older adults (≥56 years). Young adults were found to have higher levels of suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors compared to middle-aged and older adults. Controlling for depressive symptoms, the results of conducting regression analyses consistently implicated flourishing as a distinct predictor of lower suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors in young adults and middle-aged adults. However, for older adults, only optimism was found to be a unique predictor of lower suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors. Implications of the present findings for understanding the differential role of optimism and flourishing in accounting for suicidality across the adult lifespan are discussed.

Suicidal ideations among students attending vocational school in Germany: a cross-sectional study to identify prevalence and associated risk factors

AimEven though students attending vocational school are very vulnerable to the development of mental health problems, few studies identify the correlation between suicidal ideations and vocational education. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated risk factors for suicidal ideations among vocational students in Germany.MethodsWe conducted a cross sectional survey with a total of 555 pupils. The pupils received a standardized questionnaire, assessing sociodemographic data, the use of protective factors, possible risk factors, traits for neuroticism and depressive symptoms. For our study, we excluded item 9 from the Beck depression index (BDI-II) to identify the prevalence of suicidal ideation.ResultsOur results show that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among students attending vocational school is 23.2%. A combination of feeling lonely, male sex, low importance of religion, little time for hobbies and BMI scores outside the norm show the highest risk for suicidal ideation and can be identified as significant predictors.ConclusionThis cross-sectional study highlights the mental burden vocational students in Germany are confronted with and underlines the necessity of paying special attention to this group of young adults. Furthermore, it emphasizes the necessity of further studies on this topic, especially including larger student populations. The results should be used to decrease the significant loss of life caused by suicidal behavior in young adults.

Resilience to suicidal behavior in young adults: a cross-sectional study

Despite decades of research on suicide risk factors in young people, there has been no significant improvement in our understanding of this phenomenon. This study adopts a positive deviance approach to identify individuals with suicide resilience and to describe their associated psychological and sociodemographic profiles. Australian young adults aged 18–25 years with suicidal thoughts (N = 557) completed an online survey covering sociodemographic, mental health status, emotion regulatory and suicide-related domains. Latent class analysis was used to identify the individuals with suicide resilience. The predictors of suicide resilience were assessed using logistic regression models. The results suggested that one in ten (n = 55) met the criteria for suicide resilience. Factors that had a significant association with suicide resilience included greater cognitive flexibility, greater self-efficacy in expressing positive affect, reduced use of digital technology and less self-harm and substance use as a response to emotional distress. This study identified the factors that may protect young adults with suicidal thoughts from progressing to suicide attempts. Suicide prevention programs might be optimised by shifting from a deficit-based to a strength-based approach through promoting cognitive flexibility, self-efficacy and reducing maladaptive coping.

Opioid use as a proximal risk factor for suicidal behavior in young adults.

There is a concomitant rise in suicide rates with the prevalence of opioids involved in overdose deaths, especially among adolescents and young adults. However, there are limited studies on whether opioid use prospectively predicts suicidal behavior in youth. Our sample included 183psychiatric patients (18-30years) admitted for a suicide attempt (SA), have current suicidal ideation (SI), and psychiatric controls without ideation or attempt (PC). Suicidal behavior was assessed using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. We also recruited a healthy control group (HC; n=40). Patients and controls were followed over a year. ANOVA, regression, and cox regression were used. Suicide attempt (β=0.87, CI [0.1-1.6], p=0.02) and SI [(β=0.75, CI [0.03-1.5], p=0.04) were significantly more likely than HCs to have used opioids in the past year at baseline. Opioid use was associated with increased anxiety symptoms (β=0.75, CI [0.001-1.5], p=0.05), PTSD symptoms (β=3.90, CI [1.1-6.7], p=0.01), and aggression (β=0.02, CI [0.01-0.04], p=0.02). Opioid use in the month prior to hospitalization predicted SA at 6months (OR=1.87, CI [1.06-3.31], p=0.032). Opioid use is a proximal predictor for SA. These findings may help clinicians better identify patients at risk for suicidal behavior, allowing for more personalized treatment approaches.

Developing resilience and promoting positive mental health strategies in university students

AimsSuicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people living in Australia, accounting for 7.3% of all deaths among individuals aged 15–19 years. Historically, high levels of suicide have been recorded in Australian university students. This project aims to develop and test a massive online course-program (MOOC) for university students, underpinned by literature and strength-based suicide prevention principles, building resilience and awareness of mental health promoting activities.MethodA scoping review of the literature was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of current suicide prevention programs for undergraduate university students, and the effective elements contributing to the success of these programs. Six electronic databases were searched to identify relevant literature. Further, mental health consumers and university students were involved in co-producing the content of the six modules of the ‘Talk-to-me' MOOC.ResultNine articles were included in the review, discussing four types of programs including; gatekeeping, education, promotional messaging and online consultation. It was apparent from this review that there is a significant dearth of interventions and programs currently available to reduce the risk of suicide among undergraduate students, with many of the programs having limited efficacy. Despite this, a number of program elements were identified as beneficial to preventing suicide among post-secondary students including upskilling of students, and improving resilience, and self-management. These findings and further consultation with mental health consumers and undergraduate university students underpinned the development of the content of the ‘Talk-to-me' MOOC which is tailored to meet the needs of university students. The MOOC contains six modules: Mental fitness; strategies to increase mental fitness; self-harm; suicidal behaviour in young adults; interventions for suicidal behaviour; and, gatekeeper interventions. Two case study senarios depicting mental health challenges commonly experienced by yound adults portraying appropriate crisis communication skills were developed and filmed complementing the six ‘Talk-to-me' modules.ConclusionOverall, studies included in the review provide evidence to suggest that preventative programs, incorporating an educational component may be effective to be used in the MOOC to improving help-seeking behaviours among post-secondary education students. Findings from this review have underpinned the development of the ‘Talk-to-Me' MOOC which was launched in March 2020. To date this MOOC has enrolled over 45,000 participants from over 150 countries, with the average age of users being 24 years. Collectively, this line of work highlights that MOOCs are an effective means of mental health promotion to young adults.

Self-injurious and suicidal behavior in young adults, teens, and children with epilepsy: A population-based study.

Whereas studies in adult epilepsy patients have shown higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempt, such studies in children are limited. Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project database, we compared the risk of self-injurious behavior and suicidal ideation in a population-based cohort of childhood epilepsy to controls. We studied 339 cases with epilepsy and 678 age- and sex-matched controls followed to a median age of 24.7 and 23.4years, and identified 98 subjects with self-injurious behavior or suicidal ideation (43 with epilepsy and 55 controls). All behaviors were categorized using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Those with epilepsy had a significantly higher rate of any self-injurious behavior and suicidal ideation (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-2.35) and tended to have an increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempt (HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 0.93-2.37). The prevalence of preceding mood and substance abuse disorders was similarly high in both cases and controls with self-injurious behavior or suicidal ideation; however, preceding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was more than twice as common in the epilepsy cases. Among cases with epilepsy, we did not identify any specific epilepsy-related variable that was significantly correlated with risk of self-injurious behavior or suicidal ideation. Children, teens, and young adults with a history of childhood epilepsy are at greater risk of self-injurious behavior, highlighting the need for careful screening of mental health concerns as part of routine epilepsy care.

Predicting future suicidal behaviour in young adults, with different machine learning techniques: A population-based longitudinal study

The predictive accuracy of suicidal behaviour has not improved over the last decades. We aimed to explore the potential of machine learning to predict future suicidal behaviour using population-based longitudinal data. Baseline risk data assessed within the Scottish wellbeing study, in which 3508 young adults (18-34 years) completed a battery of psychological measures, were used to predict both suicide ideation and suicide attempts at one-year follow-up. The performance of the following algorithms was compared: regular logistic regression, K-nearest neighbors, classification tree, random forests, gradient boosting and support vector machine. At one year follow up, 2428 respondents (71%) finished the second assessment. 336 respondents (14%) reported suicide ideation between baseline and follow up, and 50 (2%) reported a suicide attempt. All performance metrics were highly similar across methods. The random forest algorithm was the best algorithm to predict suicide ideation (AUC 0.83, PPV 0.52, BA 0.74) and the gradient boosting to predict suicide attempt (AUC 0.80, PPV 0.10, BA 0.69). The number of respondents with suicidal behaviour at follow up was small. We only had data on psychological risk factors, limiting the potential of the more complex machine learning algorithms to outperform regular logistical regression. When applied to population-based longitudinal data containing multiple psychological measurements, machine learning techniques did not significantly improve the predictive accuracy of suicidal behaviour. Adding more detailed data on for example employment, education or previous health care uptake, might result in better performance of machine learning over regular logistical regression.

The interplay between childhood trauma, cognitive biases, psychotic-like experiences and depression and their additive impact on predicting lifetime suicidal behavior in young adults.

Childhood trauma, psychosis risk, cognition, and depression have been identified as important risk markers for suicidal behaviors. However, little is known about the interplay between these distal and proximal markers in influencing the risk of suicide. We aim to investigate the interplay between childhood trauma, cognitive biases, psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and depression in predicting suicidal behaviors in a non-clinical sample of young adults. In total, 3495 young adults were recruited to an online computer-assisted web interview. We used the Prodromal Questionnaire to assess PLEs. Childhood trauma was assessed with the Traumatic Experience Checklist (three items) and Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, three items). Cognitive biases were assessed with a short version of the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale. Suicidality, psychiatric diagnoses, and substance use were screened with a self-report questionnaire. Childhood trauma, as well as PLEs, was associated with an approximately five-fold increased risk of suicidal thoughts and plans as well as suicide attempts. Participants with depression were six times more likely to endorse suicidal behaviors. Path analysis revealed that PLEs, depression and cognitive biases are significant mediators of the relationship between trauma and suicidal behaviors. The model explained 44.6% of the variance in lifetime suicidality. Cognitive biases, PLEs, and depression partially mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidal behaviors. The interplay between distal and proximal markers should be recognized and become part of clinical screening and therapeutic strategies for preventing risk of suicidality.

Perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence and suicidal ideation in young adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the i-Share study

BackgroundSuicidal ideation and suicidal risk assessment are major concerns for health professionals. The perception of a low level of parental support is a risk factor for suicidal tendencies among adolescents, but little is known about its long-term impact on the vulnerability to suicidal behavior in young adults. We investigated whether the perceived level of parental support during childhood and adolescence was associated with current suicidal ideation in young adults.MethodsWe retrieved data collected in the i-Share study from February 1st, 2013 through January 30, 2017. This cross-sectional study included 10,015 French students, aged 18–24 years that completed an on-line self-reported questionnaire about suicidal ideation in the last 12 months and their perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence. We performed multinomial logistic regressions and sensitivity analyses to assess associations between the degree of perceived parental support and the frequency suicidal thoughts, after adjusting for the main known risk factors of suicidal ideation. We employed multiple imputations to account for missing data.ResultsThe study sample included 7539 female (75.7%) and 2436 male (24.3%) students (mean [SD] age 20.0 [1.8] years). About one in five students reported occasional suicidal thoughts (n = 1775, 17.7%) and 368 students (3.7%) reported frequent suicidal thoughts. The adjusted multinomial logistic regression revealed a significant negative association between perceived parental support and suicidal thoughts. A lack of perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence was associated with > 4-fold elevated risk of occasional (adjusted OR, 4.55; 95% CI: 2.97–6.99) and nearly 9-fold elevated risk of frequent (adjusted OR, 8.58; 95% CI: 4.62–15.96) suicidal thoughts, compared to individuals that perceived extremely strong parental support. This association was strongest among students with no personal history of depression or suicide attempts.ConclusionsStudents that perceived low levels of past parental support had a higher risk of suicidal ideation. Past perceived parental support appeared to be a potent marker of suicidal risk in young adults. This marker should be routinely collected in studies on suicidal risk in young adults, and it could be considered an additional screening tool.

Suicidal Behaviors in College Students: Frequency, Sex Differences, and Mental Health Correlates Including Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

PurposeTo (1) describe rates of suicidal behaviors in a sample of college students, (2) evaluate sex differences, and (3) provide a preliminary examination of the unique association of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms and other mental health dimensions in relation to suicidal behaviors in college students. MethodsParticipants were 1,704 college students from two universities who completed measures assessing mental health symptoms and suicidal behaviors (i.e., past ideation/attempts, past-year ideation, disclosure of intent to commit suicide to another person, and likelihood of a future suicide attempt). ResultsFour percent of participants reported a previous suicide attempt and 2.2% indicated that it was likely they would attempt suicide someday. 7.5% reported thinking about killing themselves often in the past year; 41.4% of these participants reported they had never told someone they might attempt suicide. Approximately one quarter (24%) of participants were classified with suicide risk based on an empirically established cutoff score, though rates differed between women (26.1%) and men (20.4%). Women were also more likely than men to report a previous suicide attempt and to tell someone else about their suicidal ideation. In regression models, depression was the strongest correlate of suicidal behaviors. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms were unassociated with suicidal behaviors when accounting for internalizing symptoms. SCT remained significantly associated with increased suicidal behaviors beyond other mental health dimensions including depression. ConclusionsA substantial minority of college students report suicidal behaviors, with sex differences dependent on the specific behavior examined. This study provides the first evidence linking SCT to suicidal behaviors in young adults.

초기성인의 충동성과 자살행동의 관계 : 습득된 자살실행력과 사회적 지지의 조절된 매개효과

본 연구에서는 초기성인의 충동성과 자살행동의 관계를 습득된 자살실행력이 매개하며, 습득된 자살실행력이 자살행동에 영향을 미치는 경로에서 사회적 지지가 이를 조절하는지 조절된 매개모형을 검증하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 만 18세에서 35세 사이의 성인을 대상으로 충동성, 습득된 자살실행력, 사회적 지지, 자살행동을 측정하고, SPSS 22.0을 활용하여 분석하였다. 본 연구의 주요 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 변인들 간 상관분석결과 충동성, 습득된 자살실행력, 자살행동 사이에 통계적으로 유의미한 정적 상관이 나타났다. 둘째, 매개효과 검증결과 충동성이 습득된 자살실행력에 영향을 미치고, 습득된 자살실행력은 충동성과 자살행동의 관계를 부분 매개하는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 습득된 자살실행력과 자살행동의 관계에서 사회적 지지의 조절효과를 검증한 결과, 사회적 지지가 습득된 자살실행력과 유의한 상호작용을 통해 자살행동에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 넷째, 충동성이 자살행동에 정적인 영향을 미치는 경로에서, 습득된 자살실행력이 이를 매개하며 습득된 자살실행력과 자살행동의 관계가 사회적 지지에 의해 조절되는, 조절된 매개효과가 확인되었다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 본 연구의 학문적, 임상적 시사점과 후속연구에 대해 논하였다.

Features of formation and system of psychoprophylaxis of suicidal behavior in young patients with depression

The work covers the study of the formation of suicidal behavior in young adults with depressive disorders and developing of pathogenetic based system of its prevention. There were clinical and psychopathological signs of depressive disorders in young patients analyzed. Anxiety, asthenia, asthenic-apathetic and melancholy variants of depressive disorders in young patients with suicidal behavior were highlighted. In this study, there were the markers of suicide risk for young patients with depressive disorders determined: high suicide risk, low death self-consciousness, high anhedonia level, clinical manifestations of anxiety and depression by the hospital anxiety and depression scale, severe anxiety and depression by the Hamilton anxiety rating scale, major depressive episode by the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale. It has been proved that in observed young patients with depressive disorders with suicide behavior increased concentrations of serotonin, cortisol, noradrenaline and decreased levels of adrenaline and melatonine in plasma were observed. These changes were determined as neurohormonal background for depletion of adaptation resource in stress situations. There were approaches to differentiated prevention of suicidal behavior in depressive disorders in young people validated that include pharmacotherapy (selective SSRI, melatonin, serotonin and norepinephrine), psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Psychotherapeutic complexin patients with depressive episode must include personality-oriented psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy and autogenous training; in disorders of adaptation – rational psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral analytic psychotherapy, family therapy, autogenic training. Psychoeducation should be carried out using information modules, training a positive self-image, improved compliance; formation of communication skills, problem solving, interpersonal interaction and problem-oriented discussions.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Education as a mediator of the relationship between low birthweight and attempted and completed suicide in young adults in Scotland, 2007-2012

Background Suicide in young adults is a continuing public health challenge. Recent evidence suggests low birthweight is associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviour in young adults. The risk of suicidal behaviour has also been shown to be higher in those with low educational attainment. We investigate whether educational attainment mediates the relationship between birthweight and attempted and completed suicide in a population of publicly-funded school leavers in Scotland during the period 2007–2012. Methods Education data …

Constructing the Suicide Risk Index (SRI): Does It Work in Predicting Suicidal Behavior in Young Adults Mediated by Proximal Factors?

Suicide is a key concern among young adults. The aim of the study was to (1) construct a suicide risk index (SRI) based on demographic, situational, and behavioral factors known to be linked to suicidal behavior and (2) investigate whether the association between the SRI and suicidal behavior was mediated by proximal processes (personal factors, coping strategies, and emotional states). Participants consisted of 7,558 individuals aged 17–25 years (M = 20.35, SD = 1.91). Nearly 22% (n = 1,542) reported self-harm and 7% (n = 499) had attempted suicide. Mediation analysis revealed both a direct effect (ß = .299, 95% CI = [.281, .317], p < .001), and a mediated effect (ß = .204, 95% CI = [.186, .222], p < .001), between the risk index and suicidal behavior. The strongest mediators were levels of self-esteem, depression, and avoidant coping. Interventions to increase self-esteem, reduce depression, and encourage adaptive coping strategies may prevent suicidal behavior in young people.

Basic Psychological Needs, Suicidal Ideation, and Risk for Suicidal Behavior in Young Adults

Associations between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness with current suicidal ideation and risk for suicidal behavior were examined. Two logistic regressions were conducted with a cross-sectional database of 440 university students to examine the association of need satisfaction with suicidal ideation and risk for suicidal behavior, while controlling for demographics and depressive symptoms. Suicidal ideation was reported by 15% of participants and 18% were found to be at risk for suicidal behavior. A one standard deviation increase in need satisfaction reduced the odds of suicidal ideation by 53%, OR (95% CI) = 0.47 (0.33-0.67), and the odds of being at risk for suicidal behavior by 50%, OR (95% CI) = 0.50 (0.37-0.69). Young adults whose basic psychological needs are met may be less likely to consider suicide and engage in suicidal behavior. Prospective research is needed to confirm these associations.

Racial and ethnic differences in risk factors associated with suicidal behavior among young adults in the USA

Objective. The objectives of this study are to examine racial and ethnic differences in suicidal behaviour, its main risk factors, and the effect of the risk factors on suicidal behaviour in young adults in the United States.Design. Using nationally representative data (n = 10,585) from Add Health, we calculate the prevalence of suicidal behavior and associated risk factors for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic youth (aged 18–26) using logistic regression models of suicidal ideation stratified by race.Results. Non-Hispanic White and Hispanic young adults have higher rates of suicidal ideation than their non-Hispanic Black counterparts, but racial/ethnic differences in attempts are not statistically significant. Non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanic young adults are more likely to possess key risk factors for suicide. With the exception of substance use variables (i.e. alcohol and marijuana use) which appear to be more conducive to suicidal ideation in non-Hispanic Black than in non-Hispanic White young adults, the effects of risk factors appear to be similar across race/ethnicity.Conclusion. The higher prevalence of suicidal ideation in non-Hispanic White and Hispanic young adults may be driven by their greater exposure to risk factors, as opposed to differences in the effects of these risk factors. More research is needed to uncover why non-Hispanic White and Hispanic young adults have higher rates of suicidal ideation than their non-Hispanic Black counterparts; yet, rates of suicide attempts are comparable and non-Hispanic White young adults have the highest rate of completed suicides.

1994 – System of psychotherapy and medical and social rehabilitation of patients with depression involving suicidal behavior

Depression - the main cause of suicidal behavior among young people. Optimizing therapeutic approaches to the correction of non-psychotic depression accompanied by suicidal behavior in young adults. 75 patients with psychogenic depression, committed suicide attempt. Clinical-psychopathological, psychodiagnostical. The clinical picture of depression in the patients the most frequently observed in depressed mood and affect sadness, asthenic symptoms, as well as various manifestations of anxiety. The vast majority of patients were found various violations of sleep-wake cycle. Feature of depressive disorders was their massive somatization characterized by polymorphic vegetative disorders. Building on the received data in the work we have developed pathogenetically grounded system of correction of depression involving suicidal behavior, which includes the application of integrated psychotherapeutic programs in conjunction with medical treatment. In conducting drug therapy should be given preference for the latest generation of antidepressants with a proven safety profile, high therapeutic index and low “behavioral toxicity”. Psychotherapeutic correction includes family therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and psychoeducational training. Developed and implemented in practice the system of psychotherapy and medical and social rehabilitation of patients with depression involving suicidal behavior, which confirmed the effectiveness of data of observation after 12 month. Conducted follow-up study showed the high efficiency of the proposed system of psychotherapeutic interventions for example 83.8% of patients with repeated suicide attempts were observed, 16.2% had undergone repeated courses of complex therapeutic interventions due to additional stressful circumstances.

Suizidales Verhalten im jungen Erwachsenenalter: Risikofaktoren im Entwicklungsverlauf von der frühen Kindheit bis zum Jugendalter

Suicidal behaviors are prevalent among young people. Numerous risk factors have been implicated in their development. In the framework of the longitudinal Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, 311 young adults (143 males, 168 females) aged 19-23 years were investigated in order 1) to determine the significance of different risk factors during development in predicting suicidal behaviors in young adulthood, 2) to identify potential risk factors discriminating between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, and 3) to examine whether the effect of early risk factors was mediated by later occurring predictors. Young adults with suicidal behaviors displayed a number of abnormalities during development, including high load of early family adversity, suicidal ideation and psychiatric problems in childhood and adolescence, as well as low self esteem, poor school functioning, higher levels of novelty seeking, and enhanced affiliations with deviant peers in adolescence. Independent contributions to predicting suicidal behaviors in young adults were provided by early family adversity, suicidal ideation during childhood and adolescence, and low self esteem (with regard to suicidal ideation) and novelty seeking (with regard to suicide attempt), respectively. The impact of early adversity was mediated by child and adolescent externalizing disorders and low self esteem in adolescence. Possible implications of these findings for the prevention and treatment of suicidal behaviors are discussed.

P03-477 - Is the time for suicide a random choice among young adults? An Italian study

IntroductionEvery year between 100’000 and 200’000 young people die by suicide and possibly 40 times as many attempt it [1]. Several studies analyze the seasonality of suicide in the general population, but few of them investigate it among young adults.ObjectivesWe look for a seasonal pattern in suicidal behaviors performed by young adults and evaluate the lethality of their behaviors.AimsWe test the hypothesis that(a)suicidal behaviors in young adults follow a seasonal pattern and(b)acts performed by males have a different lethality that those carried out by females.MethodsAnalyses are based on data for 3614 cases of suicidal behaviours performed by individuals aged between 18 to 24 occurring between 2001 and 2008, provided by the Italian Institute for Statistical Analysis (ISTAT). Variables included in the analysis were gender, lethality of the act and season.ResultsANOVA shows a significant association between months and number of suicides with a significant difference between the first and the second semester. Peaks were found in January, March and May. Males have a significantly greater regularity of the peaks than females (Mann-Whitney U- Test p &lt; 0,001). Females have a rapport between completed and attempted suicides of 0.14, while among males it is of 0.72.ConclusionsClinical implications of these findings should be considered with the aim of developing more effective preventative strategies targeted to this age group.

Speaker Abstracts

The causes of suicide are complex, and our understanding of the processes and pathways leading to suicide is complicated by the limitations of the available data. Suicide is strongly associated with mental illness, especially in patients with significant depressive features, and those with a history of suicidal behaviour. Prevention of suicide both in the general population and in severely mentally ill patients is a feature of health policy initiatives in many countries. However, whilst there is significant evidence for the efficacy of treatment for depressive disorders, a meta-analysis of treatment for the secondary prevention of suicidal behaviour found that few treatments were effective or feasible in practice. Randomised controlled trials, analyses of pooled data, pharmacoepidemiological studies, case series and psychological autopsy studies provide different strands of evidence when examining the question of whether antidepressant drugs might provoke or prevent attempted and completed suicide. Ecological studies consistently show an association between increased antidepressant prescribing and reduction of suicide. Recent pharmacoepidemiological reports found no evidence for an increase in suicide associated with different classes of antidepressant classes, although weak evidence for an increase in suicidal behaviour in young adults prescribed some antidepressants. The challenge for the clinician continues to be the effective management of patients with depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviour, weighing the relative risks and benefits from the evidence available.