Time series analysis of suicide from a monthly perspective in the south of Brazil: an ecological study

Abstract Introduction: Suicide is the cause of death of almost 800 thousand people worldwide every year. In Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul is one of the states with the highest suicide rates. This study aimed to assess whether there is a significant monthly time pattern of suicide in Rio Grande do Sul, by gender and age ranges, and whether suicide characteristics in the state are coherent with findings from previous studies. Methods: All data were collected from official secondary sources maintained by the national Brazilian and Rio Grande do Sul governments, covering a period from 2015 to 2019. Data included suicide deaths and population, divided by gender and age range. Sum totals, frequencies, odds ratios, and time series analyses were performed. Results: From 2015 to 2019, 6,287 people committed suicide in Rio Grande do Sul. Most of them were men and the most prevalent age band was from 50 to 59 years old. Men had higher suicide rates then women in all age ranges (p < 0.001) and in all months of the year, with an approximately 4-fold higher risk of committing suicide when compared to women. Men had a trending peak of suicide in January and December (p < 0.001), whereas women's suicide rates peaked in March and December (p = 0.001). Conclusion: There are monthly time trends and seasonal patterns of suicide rates in Rio Grande do Sul, varying by gender and age range. Gender differences occurred mainly in the first three months of the year, and the age pattern was more evident among individuals aged 60 years or older.

Clozapine use decreases the number of hospitalizations per year in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia

For years, the management of schizophrenia has represented a challenge for clinicians, with antipsychotic treatments usually resulting in relapses and new hospitalizations. Clozapine has been shown to be an effective medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), but is currently underused due to its potential side effects. Nevertheless, research has suggested that clozapine reduces future hospitalizations in patients with TRS. This study aims to verify the rates of hospitalizations in patients with TRS under long-term use of clozapine. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 52 individuals with TRS before and after the use of clozapine. The mean duration of treatment with and without clozapine was 6.6 (± 3.9) and 8.5 years (± 6.6), respectively. Patients had a median of 0.5 (0.74) hospitalizations per year before the use of clozapine and 0 (0.74) hospitalizations after it (p = 0.001). Therefore, the use of clozapine resulted in an expected reduction in the number of hospitalizations per year in individuals with TRS. (AU)

Associação entre Empatia e Personalidade em Estudantes de Medicina / Association between Empathy and Personality in Medical Students

Resumo: Introdução: A empatia é um atributo valorizado como competência médica que influencia positivamente a relação médico-paciente e repercute na adesão ao tratamento e na melhora clínica. Estudos prévios indicam que há correlação entre personalidade e empatia em estudantes de Medicina, mas não existem, até o momento, dados referentes na literatura nacional. Este estudo teve como objetivos analisar a capacidade de empatia e os domínios de personalidade e investigar a correlação entre empatia e personalidade em estudantes de Medicina brasileiros. Métodos: Aplicaram-se dois instrumentos em estudantes do primeiro ano do curso de Medicina, nos anos de 2015 e 2017, para avaliar empatia e personalidade por meio das seguintes escalas: Jefferson Scale Empathy - Students version (JSE-S) e NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Foi realizada análise descritiva dos dados contendo média, escores mínimo e máximo, correlação e regressão linear de personalidade e empatia. Resultados: Preencheram os instrumentos 164 (96,4%) estudantes, sendo 50,5% do sexo feminino. A média do escore global da JSE-S foi de 117,6 ± 10,9, sendo a média feminina (119,5 ± 10,5) e masculina (115,7 ± 11) com diferença significativa (p < 0,01). No NEO-FFI, a conscienciosidade obteve a maior média global (29,1 ± 3,8), e coube ao neuroticismo a menor média (21,7 ± 4,7). No grupo feminino, a maior média foi encontrada em conscienciosidade (29,4 ± 3,8); e a menor, em abertura para experiência (20,6 ± 3,3). No grupo masculino, conscienciosidade (29,4±3,9) e neuroticismo (21,6±4,2) obtiveram as maiores e menores médias. Constatou-se diferença significativa entre os sexos no escore global da JSE-S, em abertura para experiência e socialização. As correlações encontradas entre empatia e personalidade foram fracas, e nenhuma delas foi estatisticamente significativa. Conclusão: As médias dos domínios de personalidade diferem entre os sexos, e, no presente estudo, em avaliação transversal, não houve correlação forte da personalidade e empatia em estudantes de Medicina. Estudos com abordagem longitudinal são necessários para elucidar modulações na empatia e personalidade, nos diferentes momentos da formação médica.

Abstract: Introduction: Empathy is a valuable attribute for a physician, as it positively influences the doctor-patient relationship. Previous studies indicate that there is a correlation between personality and empathy in medical students, but there is no data available in the Brazilian literature so far. This study aimed to analyze the empathy and personality traits of Brazilian medical students, and investigate their association. Methods: First year medical students from the 2015 and 2017 cohorts had their empathy and personality traits evaluated by two instruments using the following scales, respectively: Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Students version (JSE-S) and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). A descriptive analysis comprised mean, minimum and maximum scores, correlation coefficients and linear regression of personality and empathy. Results: 164 (96.4%) students completed the surveys, and 50.5% were women. The mean global score of the JSE-S was 117.6 ± 10.9; stratification by gender showed scores of 119.5 ± 10.5 and 115.7 ± 11.0, respectively in women and men (p<0.01). In the NEO-FFI, the domain of 'conscientiousness' had the highest global mean (29.1 ± 3.8) and 'neuroticism', the lowest (21.7 ± 4.7). In women, the highest mean was observed in 'conscientiousness' (29.4 ± 3.8) and the lowest in 'open to new experiences' (20.6 ± 3.3). In men, the highest and the lowest scores were respectively in the domains 'conscientiousness' (29.4 ± 3.9) and 'neuroticism' (21.6 ± 4.2). There was a significant difference between men and women in the global score of the JSE-S, and in the personality domains of 'open to new experiences' and 'socialization'. Correlations between empathy and personality were found to be weak and not statistically relevant. Conclusion: The personality traits differed between men and women, but there was no significant correlation between empathy and personality among medical students enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Further investigations are needed to examine how empathy and personality modulate during medical studies using longitudinal approaches.