‘Alarming rise’ in suicidality among Black youth in Chicago’s South Side

Traditionally, Black Americans have faced a significantly lower risk of suicide compared to their white counterparts. But increasing factors like bullying, community violence, and “neglectful” parenting are contributing to a broader trend of mental health crises among youth in disadvantaged communities, according to a new study led by Case Western Reserve University.

Mental Health Problems Often Go Undetected in Youth Who Die by Suicide

Three out of five youth who died by suicide in the U.S. did not have a prior mental health diagnosis, signaling missed opportunities to identify children and adolescents for suicide prevention strategies, including therapy or medications to treat depression. This finding comes from an analysis of over 40,000 suicides by youth of 10-24 years of age from 2010 to 2021, recorded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Violent Death Reporting System. Results were published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Does Living in America’s Wealthiest Communities Make You Safer?

Nationwide study published in Risk Analysis, compares the concentration of hazards and risks for the richest and poorest counties and municipalities in all 50 states (200 locations). Wealthier communities face higher economic consequences from natural hazard events compared to the poorest, mostly rural communities. The lowest-income municipalities have fewer impact from natural hazards, but at least 50% higher suicide and homicide rates, and firearm fatalities.

Alcohol Use Disorder Amplifies Suicidal Ideation Severity in Military Personnel with PTSD

Heavy alcohol use may be a key factor contributing to suicide among military personnel with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder. A study of active military personnel found that heavy drinking amplifies the relationship between PTSD symptoms and the severity of suicidal thoughts. The authors of the study, which is published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, recommend that the military health system consider requiring screening for suicidal ideation and alcohol use in service members who may have post-traumatic stress disorder and further develop integrated treatment programs that simultaneously treat alcohol use disorder and PTSD.

Mexican researchers have found that people who avoid going to psychologists choose the most violent suicide methods

Researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, together with physicians of the Fray Bernardino Álvarez Psychiatric Hospital in Mexico city, have conducted a study, which demonstrated that male subjects with suicidal behavior who had not sought psychological or psychiatric assistance were likely to select more violent suicide methods compared to female subjects.

Preventing tragedy: FSU expert examines suicidal motives in mass shootings, terrorism

By: Amy Walden | Published: February 21, 2024 | 9:21 am | SHARE: According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States reported 656 mass shootings in 2023. When it comes to understanding and preventing tragedies such as murder-suicides, mass shootings and terrorism, some may question why assailants in these cases are motivated to kill.

High school students who report using alcohol, cannabis or nicotine at higher risk for suicidal thoughts and other mental health disorders

High school students who reported using cannabis, alcohol, or nicotine were more likely to have thoughts about suicide, feel depressed or anxious, have unusual experiences, and exhibit inattention or hyperactivity, according to recent survey-based study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Minnesota.

High rate of mental health problems & political extremism found in those who bought firearms during COVID pandemic

People who bought firearms during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have much higher rates of recent suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviors, and intimate partner violence, a new study suggests, compared with other firearm owners and people who do not own firearms.

Psychiatrist Available to Discuss National Suicide Prevention Month

Psychiatrist Liat Jarkon, D.O., director of the Center for Behavioral Health at New York Institute of Technology, is available for interview/comment on this and other mental-health-related topics. Contact [email protected].   In 2021, an estimated 1.7 million suicide attempts took place in the United States. In addition,…

Psychologist: Dial 988 during mental health crises

Millions of Americans dial 911 each year to seek help for mental health and substance use emergencies. However, doing so may unnecessarily land them in the emergency room or the criminal justice system.    In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Anu…

Deaths by suicide increase significantly during the week of a full moon

For centuries, people have suspected a full moon in the sky to cause mysterious changes in people. Now, psychiatrists at Indiana University School of Medicine have found deaths by suicide increase during the full moon.

‘All Work, No Independent Play’ Cause of Children’s Declining Mental Health

A new study suggests the rise in mental health disorders in children and teens is attributed to a decline over decades in opportunities for them to play, roam and engage in activities independent of direct oversight and control by adults. Although well intended, adults’ drive to guide and protect children has deprived them of the independence they need for mental health, contributing to record levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people.

‘Other’ race/ethnicity linked to higher suicide and overdose risk in military members with mild TBI

Previous studies have reported high rates of death by suicide and drug overdose – including opioid overdose – in military service members with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). A new study finds that those risks are highest among military members with mTBI who identify their racial/ethnic status as “Other,” as opposed to standard racial/ethnic categories, reports the March/April issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR). The official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Upward trend in ‘deaths of despair’ linked to drop in religious participation, economist finds

Over the past 20 years, the death rate from drug poisonings in the U.S. has tripled and suicide and alcoholic liver disease death rates have increased by 30 percent — particularly among middle-aged white Americans. Daniel Hungerman, professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, and his co-authors studied the connection between a sharp downturn of religious participation in the late 1980s and the swift rise in these “deaths of despair” among white Americans ages 45 to 54 in the early 1990s.

Physicians Should Screen Youth for Cyberbullying, Social Media Use

Researchers recommend primary care physicians screen adolescents and young adults for inappropriate or misuse of social media and cyberbullying utilizing screening tools developed for use in the health care setting. Physicians also can ask about the many symptoms that could be warning signs of cyberbullying such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviors, academic problems, fatigue and headaches. They also can undergo training to detect bullying and ensure that their staff is trained appropriately.