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Suicidality among adolescents and young adults in a Psychiatry Inpatient Unit: a two-year retrospective study in Umbria, central Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

E. Valentini ,
A. Minuti ,
G. Menculini ,
F. De Giorgi ,
T. Sciarma ,
K. Amantini ,
P. Moretti  and
A. Tortorella
E. Valentini*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
A. Minuti
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
G. Menculini
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
F. De Giorgi
Affiliation:
Section of Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital
T. Sciarma
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
K. Amantini
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Department of Mental Health, AUSL Umbria 1, PG, Italy
P. Moretti
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
A. Tortorella
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (AYA) (Czyz EK, King CA. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol.2015;44(1):181-19), and psychiatric disorders are a major contributing factor (WHO Global Health Estimates 2000-2019). Studies focusing on suicidality in Italian inpatients samples are scant.

Objectives

The present cross-sectional study aimed to define clinical variables associated with suicidality related phenomena in a sample of young inpatients. The main objectives were to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm in inpatients aged 16–24 years and to determine the relationship between suicidal behaviours and psychiatric disorders.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted in a naturalistic setting, at the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Perugia Hospital/Local Mental Health Unit 1, from January 2018 to December 2019. Sociodemographic information, clinical history, diagnostic and treatment features were collected. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed (p<0,05).

Results

Among 120 patients (14,2% of the overall 850 hospitalizations in the index period) admitted for suicidality-related phenomena, 21 (17,5%) were AYA. Admission was due to deliberate self-harm in 85,7% (n=18) and to suicidal ideation in 14,3% (n=3) cases. Personality disorders (p=0.006), were significantly more prevalent among AYA, while mood disorders were more frequent among adults (p=0.0018) (Tab.1).Tab.1.Differences in diagnostic features between AYA and adult population.

AYAn (%)Adultsn (%)χ2P
PERSONALITY DISORDERS10 (47.6)17 (17,2)7.5470.006
Borderline personality disorder7 (33.3)9 (9.1)6.8380.009
MOOD DISORDERS0 (0)26 (26,3)5.5780.018

Conclusions

Personality is under construction among youths, and affective symptoms may have unusual characteristics (Lack CW, Green AL. J Pediatr Nurs. 2009;24(1):13-25), as demonstrated by the fact that irritable rather than depressed mood is a core diagnostic mood symptom for adolescents (Rice F, et al. J Affect Disord. 2019;243:175-181). We hypothesized that symptoms of irritability, emotional dysregulation, and impulsivity could be linked to suicidality (Ghanem M, et al. Arch Suicide Res. 2013;17(3):262-274). Further investigations are needed for the characterization of AYA inpatients who experience suicidal thoughts or self-injurious behaviours, in order to redefine preventive tools and reduce suicide mortality rates.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S332
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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