The study of ideas about death and the mechanisms of their formation in adolescents with suicidal behavior is an important task for both diagnosis and psychotherapy. The parents’ notions of death, and the prohibition on discussing the topic of death in the family, can significantly distort the adolescent’s relationship with death.

Investigate differences in attitudes towards death in parents and adolescents who apply to the crisis care room of a child psychiatric clinic.

The study involved 90 adolescents with their parents who applied to the crisis outpatient care system. The following questionnaires were offered: Death Attitude Profile-Revised, Death Anxiety Scale, Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, GAD-7.

Significant differences were found for most of the scales in the samples of adults and adolescents, of particular interest to us were the scales “death avoidance” (W=317,500,z=3,089,p=0,002) and “perception of family support» (W=288,500,z=3,393,p=0,001). For the group of adolescents, there are higher indicators on the scales of anxiety (W=61,000,z=-2,546,p=0,011), anxiety in close relationships (W=83,000,z=-2,549,p=0,011), avoidance of close relationships (W=28,000,z=-3,870,p=0,000), and death as a means of escape (W=54,500,z=-3,076,p=0,002).

In families of adolescents with suicidal behavior, the severity of dysfunctional patterns of building close relationships and the presence of sharply opposite positions in relation to death in children and parents are observed without the possibility of discussing this topic.

No significant relationships.

Suicide-related Internet use is becoming more common, and many research study its potential risks and benefits.

Data on suicidal thoughts and Internet use of patients with depressive disorders were collected to assess their suicide-related Internet use and its relation to help-seeking preferences.

Semi-structured interviews were completed to assess Internet use patterns and suicidal thoughts among patients treated with depressive disorders, and preferred forms of help-seeking were also examined.

113 patients completed the interviews, most of them spend more hours a day using the Internet. More than 80% came across suicide-related contents while browsing, a quarter reported specific search for suicidal contents. In case of suicidal thoughts, three-quarters of depressed patients would seek help from a mental health professional, two-thirds from their partners, half from friends, and nearly one-third from parents, other relatives or from GPs. Most patients would prefer offline (personal) help for their psychological problems and suicidal thoughts, online methods were less preferred, with only one-fifth choosing these options. However, a third of them also considered it probable that they would not ask anyone for help.

Despite of the frequent use of the Internet, online help-seeking is less common in depressive patients. However, in the times of pandemic, online help facilities may provide an opportunity to prevent suicidal behavior for those, who have suicidal thoughts and use the Internet regularly, especially searching for suicide-related contents. In the future, further research is needed to develop more effective online suicide prevention programs and applications.

No significant relationships.

This work represents the continuation of the studies presented in two e-posters during the EPA 2021 conference (De Filippi et al., 2021; Rignanese et al., 2021), which addressed the physical pain-suicidality association (k=44 studies).

The aim of this meta-analysis is to provide an update of those studies, integrating data relating to adolescents, adults, and olders.

We started with the analysis of three papers, in particular a meta-analysis (Calati et al., 2015) and two systematic reviews (Hinze et al., 2019; Santos et al., 2019). After searching on Pubmed (until September 2020), data were extracted from articles comparing the rates of current and lifetime suicidal thoughts and behaviours (death wish, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, suicide attempt and suicide death: DW, SI, SP, SA, and SD) in adolescents, adults, and olders with any type of physical pain and in individuals who did not report this condition. Data were analysed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (CMA) version 2.

67 studies were included, of which 16 on adolescents, 29 on adults, 16 on olders, and 6 on mixed ages. Although quite high between-study heterogeneity was detected in most analyses, results suggested that individuals with physical pain are more likely to report any form of suicidal outcome if compared to those not affected by pain.

Collected data are therefore in line with previous literature on this topic, which considered physical pain an extremely predictive risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviours. However, further research on this topic would be extremely useful.

No significant relationships.

The effects of bullying can be both physical and emotional, and they can last for many years. Children that experience verbal and physical bullying are at a greater risk of developing depression later on in life, compared with children who did not.

This study aims to look into the relationship between bullying, depressive symptomatology and suicidal thoughts in adolescents of high schools in Lushnje.

Three questionaires (the Beck Depression Inventory; the Bully/victim Behavior / Victim Behavior Questionnaire by Olweus; the Suicide Questionnaire) were circulated online and were completed by 400 adolescents from 2 high schools in a small city in Albania between September-November 2019. Data has been analysed using the Software Package for Social Sciences for Windows v. 22.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL).

We found significant positive correlation between bullying (victimization) and the level of depression (r (n = 400) =. 300, p≤.05), and significant positive correlation of bullying (cause) with level of depression (r (n = 400) =. 160, p≤.05) but lower than in victimes. The victims of bullying have higher levels of depression and vice versa. We found higher rate of depression in female adolescents with the average (M = 14.710, ds = 11.263) compared to boys with the average (M = 9.609, ds = 10.723). There is an important positive correlation of suicidal ideation with the level of depression (r (n = 400) =. 616, p≤.05).

Being either a bully or a victim of bullying seems to increase the chances of being affected by depression and suicidal thoughts

Multiple epidemiologic and clinical studies have explored the relationship between physical pain and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide an update of the data already present in literature about this specific association in adults.

Starting from a meta-analysis published by Calati and colleagues in 2015, 28 studies were included in this work. After searching on Pubmed (until March 2020), data were extracted from articles comparing the rates of current and lifetime suicidal thoughts and behaviours (death wish, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, suicide attempt and suicide death: DW, SI, SP, SA, and SD) in adults with any type of physical pain and in individuals who did not report this condition. Data were analysed using Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager software (RevMan, version 5.4).

Although high between-study heterogeneity was detected in most analyses, results suggested that adults with physical pain are more likely to report any form of suicidal outcome, except for death by suicide, compared to individuals not affected by pain. No evidence of publication bias was reported in the main analysis (lifetime SA).

Collected data are therefore in line with previous literature on this topic, which considered physical pain an extremely relevant risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Future studies should specifically focus on alternative types of physical pain (such as medically unexplained pain or psychogenic pain) or explore the different impact of acute versus chronic pain in terms of increased suicide risk.

Suicide is a leading cause of premature death in people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Although exposure to stressors can play a part in the pathways to death by suicide, there is evidence that some people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia can be resilient to the impact of suicide triggers.

To investigate factors that contribute to psychological resilience to suicidal thoughts and behaviours from the perspectives of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

A qualitative design was used, involving semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Twenty individuals with non-affective psychosis or schizophrenia diagnoses who had experience of suicide thoughts and behaviours participated in the study. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and examined using inductive thematic analysis.

Participants reported that psychological resilience to suicidal thoughts and behaviours involved ongoing effort. This ongoing effort encompassed: (a) understanding experiences (including reconciliation to mental health experiences and seeking reasons to live), (b) active behaviours (including talking to people and keeping occupied), and (c) relationship dynamics (including feeling supported by significant others and mental health professionals).

Psychological resilience was described as a dynamic process that developed over time through the experiences of psychosis and the concomitant suicidal experiences. Psychological resilience can be understood using a multicomponential, dynamic approach that integrates buffering, recovery and maintenance resilience models. In order to nurture psychological resilience, interventions should focus on supporting the understanding and management of psychosis symptoms and concomitant suicidal experiences.

None.

Depression, if broadly defined, is the commonest late-life mental disorder. We examined the distribution of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts, across age, sex, literacy, and marital status, among elderly individuals residing in rural Bangladesh and participating in a population-based study on health and aging.

Prevalence figures of depressive symptoms were assessed with SRQ20 (n = 625), and possible social network and economic associations were examined. Morbidity accounts of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts were examined for a subsample that also underwent complete medical examination (n = 471).

We selected for analyses the items that corresponded to DSM-IV criteria and constructed a dichotomous variable. The prevalence was 45%, and most pronounced among the oldest women (70%). The overall prevalence of suicidal thoughts was 23%. Being a woman, illiterate or single were all risk factors for depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. These associations remained unaccounted for by the social network and economic variables. Co-residing with a child and having a high quality of contact were protective of both depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. The main findings were replicated in the subsample, where it was found that morbidities were also associated with the outcomes, independently of the four main predictors.

Prevalence figures for depressive symptoms among elderly in rural Bangladesh are high. Demographic, social network, and morbidity factors are independently associated with both depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. This is the first study to report prevalence figures for depressive symptoms in this population.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nuclei (STN) can result in depression despite the obvious motor improvement.

Two patients with serious life-threatening depressive episodes are described. In the first case, the trigger for depression was a slight adjustment of the left stimulating electrode’s contact. In the second case, reducing both the dopaminergic therapy and the voltage of DBS resulted in the manifestation of depressive symptoms.

DBS-induced depression possibly has pathogenetic differences from ordinary Parkinson’s disease depression. The STN region seems to be a sensitive zone that influences emotions.

Suicide tends to concentrate in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and neighborhood disadvantage is associated with many important risk factors for youth suicide. However, no study has directly investigated the link between neighborhood poverty and youth suicidal behaviors, while controlling for pre-existing vulnerabilities. The objective of this study was to determine whether living in a poor neighborhood is associated with suicidal thoughts and attempts in late adolescence over and above background vulnerabilities, and whether this association can be explained by late-adolescence psychosocial risks: depression, social support, negative life events (NLEs), delinquent activities, substance abuse and exposure to suicide. The potential moderating role of neighborhood poverty was also examined.

A subset of 2776 participants was selected from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Late-adolescence suicidal behaviors and risk factors were self-reported. The 2001 Canadian Census was used to characterize neighborhoods during early and middle adolescence. Late-childhood family and individual controls were assessed through parent-report.

At the bivariate level, the odds of reporting suicidal thoughts were about twice as high in poor than non-poor neighborhoods, and the odds of attempting suicide were about four times higher. After controlling for background vulnerabilities, neighborhood poverty remained significantly associated with both suicidal thoughts and attempts. However, these associations were not explained by late-adolescence psychosocial risks. Rather, youth living in poor neighborhoods may be at greater risk through the amplification of other risk factors in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Potential explanations for the increased vulnerability of youth living in poor neighborhoods are discussed.