Meta-analysis of the association between suicidal ideation and later suicide among patients with either a schizophrenia spectrum psychosis or a mood disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies of patients with a mix of psychiatric diagnoses have suggested a modest or weak association between suicidal ideation and later suicide. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the association between expressed suicidal ideation and later suicide varies according to psychiatric diagnosis. METHOD: A systematic meta-analysis of studies that report the association between suicidal ideation and later suicide in patients with 'mood disorders', defined to include major depression, dysthymia and bipolar disorder, or 'schizophrenia spectrum psychosis', defined to include schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder and delusional disorder. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was strongly associated with suicide among patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis [14 studies reporting on 567 suicides, OR = 6.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.82-11.02]. The association between suicidal ideation and suicide among patients with mood disorders (11 studies reporting on 860 suicides, OR = 1.49, 95% CI 0.92-2.42) was not significant. Diagnostic group made a significant contribution to between-study heterogeneity (Q-value = 16.2, df = 1, P < 0.001) indicating a significant difference in the strength of the associations between suicidal ideation and suicide between the two diagnostic groups. Meta-regression and multiple meta-regression suggested that methodological issues in the primary research did not explain the findings. Suicidal ideation was weakly but significantly associated with suicide among studies of patients with mood disorders over periods of follow-up of <10 years. CONCLUSION: Although our findings suggest that the association between suicidal ideation and later suicide is stronger in schizophrenia spectrum psychosis than in mood disorders this result should be interpreted cautiously due to the high degree of between-study heterogeneity and because studies that used stronger methods of reporting had a weaker association between suicidal ideation and suicide.

Systematic meta-analysis of the risk factors for deliberate self-harm before and after treatment for first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: Attempted suicide and deliberate self-injury can occur before or after presentation with a first-episode of psychosis. The aim of the study is to identify the factors associated with suicide attempts or deliberate self-injury before and after treatment for first-episode psychosis. METHOD: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies of factors associated with either suicide attempts or deliberate self-injury, referred to here as deliberate self-harm (DSH). RESULTS: The pooled proportion of patients who reported DSH prior to treatment for first-episode psychosis was 18.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 14.4-23.3, N = 18 studies, I(2) = 93.8). The pooled proportion of patients with DSH during the period of untreated psychosis was 9.8%, (95% CI 6.7-14.2, N = 5 studies, I(2) = 58.9). The pooled proportion of patients committing DSH during periods of follow up of between 1 and 7 years was 11.4%, (95% CI, 8.3-15.5, N = 13 studies, I(2) = 89.2). Categorical factors associated with an increased risk of DSH were a prior history of DSH (OR = 3.94), expressed suicide ideation (OR = 2.34), greater insight (OR = 1.64), alcohol abuse (OR = 1.68) and substance use (OR = 1.46). Continuous variables associated with an increased risk of DSH were younger age of onset (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = -0.28), younger age at first treatment (SMD = -0.18), depressed mood (SMD = 0.49) and the duration of untreated psychosis (SMD = 0.20). Depressed mood and substance use were associated with DSH both before and after treatment, negative symptoms were associated with DSH after treatment but not before treatment. Positive symptoms and social and global functioning were not associated with DSH. Younger age and the duration of untreated psychosis were associated with DSH before treatment but not after treatment. CONCLUSION: Earlier treatment of first-episode psychosis and successful treatment of depression and substance use could prevent some episodes of DSH and might reduce suicide mortality in early psychosis.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical factors associated with the suicide of psychiatric in-patients.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the strength of the associations between the suicide of psychiatric in-patients and demographic, historical, symptomatic, diagnostic and treatment factors. METHOD: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies of the suicide of psychiatric in-patients including suicides while on approved or unapproved leave. RESULTS: Factors that were significantly associated with in-patient suicide included a history of deliberate self-harm, hopelessness, feelings of guilt or inadequacy, depressed mood, suicidal ideas and a family history of suicide. Patients suffering from both schizophrenia and depressed mood appeared to be at particular risk. The association between suicidal ideas and in-patient suicide was weak and did not reach statistical significance after a quantitative correction for publication bias. A high-risk categorization as defined by a combination of retrospectively determined individual risk factors was strongly statistically associated with in-patient suicide (OR=10.9), with a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 85%. CONCLUSION: Despite the apparently strong association between high-risk categorization and subsequent suicide, the low base rate of in-patient suicide means that predictive value of a high-risk categorization is below 2%. The development of safer hospital environments and improved systems of care are more likely to reduce the suicide of psychiatric in-patients than risk assessment.

The danger of dangerousness: why we must remove the dangerousness criterion from our mental health acts.

OBJECTIVES: The mental health legislation of most developed countries includes either a dangerousness criterion or an obligatory dangerousness criterion (ODC). A dangerousness criterion holds that mentally ill people may be given treatment without consent if they are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. An ODC holds that mentally ill people may be given treatment without consent only if they are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. This paper argues that the dangerousness criterion is unnecessary, unethical and, in the case of the ODC, potentially harmful to mentally ill people and to the rest of the community. METHODS: We examine the history of the dangerousness criterion, and provide reasoned argument and empirical evidence in support of our position. RESULTS: Dangerousness criteria are not required to balance the perceived loss of autonomy arising from mental health legislation. Dangerousness criteria unfairly discriminate against the mentally ill, as they represent an unreasonable barrier to treatment without consent, and they spread the burden of risk that any mentally ill person might become violent across large numbers of mentally ill people who will never become violent. Mental health legislation that includes an ODC is associated with a longer duration of untreated psychosis, and probably contributes to a poorer prognosis and an increase risk of suicide and violence in patients in their first episode of psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: Dangerousness criteria should be removed from mental health legislation and be replaced by criteria that focus on a patient's capacity to refuse treatment.

An audit of medico-legal reports prepared for claims of psychiatric injury following motor vehicle accidents.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this audit was to examine whether the content of medico-legal reports regarding psychiatric injury following motor vehicle accidents was influenced by the role of the report writers. METHOD: The audit consisted of a retrospective review, using a novel rating scale, of archived documents from 559 consecutively examined insurance claims following motor vehicle accidents in New South Wales. RESULTS: Treating practitioners wrote less complete reports than experts representing the plaintiff or defendant. Treating practitioners and plaintiffs' experts were more likely to diagnose posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, while defendants' experts were more likely to find no psychiatric disorder. Limitations of the study were that it was retrospective and examined report writing between 1989 and 1994. The completeness, rather than quality, of the medico-legal reports was measured. CONCLUSION: Further training and quality assurance procedures may improve medico-legal report writing. Reform of the rules regulating the content of experts' reports may reduce the extent to which the role of the report writer influences their opinion.

Intravenous sedation of involuntary psychiatric patients in New South Wales.

OBJECTIVE: Intravenous sedation of involuntary psychiatric patients is practised in almost all hospitals in New South Wales. Despite its widespread use, little has been published about the medications used or their safety and efficacy. The present study reports the frequency and reasons for intravenous sedation, the medications used, and the incidence of adverse effects. METHOD: Eighteen of 21 acute psychiatric admission units in the State were reviewed. The medical records of a random sample of 495 patients admitted involuntarily during 1990 were examined and information from the progress notes, drug charts and physical observations was recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 495 patients, 132 (27%) were intravenously sedated. Eighty-six percent (86%) of patients received a combination of haloperidol or diazepam, usually 20 mg of each drug. The threat of violence was the most significant patient characteristic predicting the use of intravenous sedation. Patients with mania or intoxication were relatively more likely to be intravenously sedated than other diagnostic categories. Patients admitted via accident and emergency departments and those admitted to teaching and metropolitan general hospitals compared to rural and large psychiatric hospitals were significantly more likely to receive intravenous sedation. The most common complications of intravenous sedation were dystonia (37%), hypotension (8%) and confusion (5%). The incidence of phlebitis and other extrapyramidal side-effects was probably under-reported. CONCLUSION: About one in four involuntary psychiatric patients receive intravenous sedation in NSW. Intravenous sedation is more likely when patients are admitted through accident and emergency departments to teaching or metropolitan hospitals, and pose a threat of violence. Intravenous sedation was shown to be a safe procedure given certain precautions.