Cost-effectiveness of a Contact Intervention and a Psychotherapeutic Program for Post-discharge Suicide Prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost-effectiveness of 2 strategies for post-discharge suicide prevention, an Enhanced Contact intervention based on repeated in-person and telephone contacts, and an individual 2-month long problem-solving Psychotherapy program, in comparison to facilitated access to outpatient care following a suicide attempt. METHODS: We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis based on a decision tree between January and December 2019. Comparative effectiveness estimates were obtained from an observational study conducted between 2013 and 2017 in Madrid, Spain. Electronic health care records documented resource use (including extra-hospital emergency care, mortality, inpatient admission, and disability leave). Direct cost data were derived from Madrid's official list of public health care prices. Indirect cost data were derived from Spain's National Institute of Statistics. RESULTS: Both augmentation strategies were more cost-effective than a single priority outpatient appointment considering reasonable thresholds of willingness to pay. Under the base-case scenario, Enhanced Contact and Psychotherapy incurred, respectively, €2,340 and 6,260 per averted attempt, compared to a single priority appointment. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed both augmentation strategies to remain cost-effective under several scenarios. Enhanced Contact was slightly cost minimizing in comparison to Psychotherapy (base-case scenario: €-196 per averted attempt). CONCLUSIONS: Two post-discharge suicide prevention strategies based on Enhanced Contact and Psychotherapy were cost-effective in comparison to a single priority appointment. Increasing contacts between suicide attempters and mental health-care providers was slightly cost minimizing compared to psychotherapy.

Implementation of a suicide risk prevention program in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The ARSUIC experience.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates the degree of compliance and effectiveness of the ARSUIC Suicide Risk Care Program. ARSUIC seeks to reduce the relapse risk that follows a suicide attempt by scheduling a high priority outpatient visit following hospital discharge. METHOD: Hospital-based retrospective study conducted between years 2012 and 2015. We included every suicide attempt treated at the La Paz University Hospital's mental healthcare resources network. We estimated the time between hospital discharge and the first outpatient visit; the proportion of visits that fulfill the program's objective - a follow-up within a maximum of 7 days; the suicide attempt rate; and the percentage of attempts corresponding to relapses, by study year. RESULTS: After program deployment, median time between discharge and the first visit decreased from 8.5 to 6 days, and the percentage of visits that fulfill the program's objective increased from 32 to 48.5%. Between years 2012 and 2015, the suicide attempt rate per person and year decreased from 1.20 to 1.08 and the proportion of attempts corresponding to relapses from 26.6% to 12.8%. CONCLUSION: Implementing the ARSUIC Program lowered the time between discharge and the first outpatient visit following a suicide attempt. The proportion of suicide attempts due to relapses and the suicide attempt rate per person decreased progressively. The program fulfilment proportion was under 50%, suggesting between-user differences regarding their effective access to the program.

Implementación de un programa de prevención del riesgo de suicidio en la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. La experiencia ARSUIC / Implementation of a suicide risk prevention program in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The ARSUIC experience

INTRODUCCIÓN: Este estudio evalúa el grado de cumplimiento y efectividad del programa ARSUIC de Atención al Riesgo Suicida, cuyo objetivo es reducir el riesgo posterior al intento de suicidio facilitando una cita ambulatoria de alta prioridad después del alta hospitalaria. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio retrospectivo de base hospitalaria conducido, entre 2012 y 2015, en todos los casos de intento de suicidio atendidos en la red de recursos de psiquiatría del Hospital Universitario La Paz. Se obtienen estimadores del tiempo hasta la primera consulta después del alta, de la proporción de citas que cumple el objetivo del programa de ser atendidos en un máximo de 7 días, de la tasa de intento de suicidio y del porcentaje de intentos que corresponde con un reintento, en cada año de estudio. RESULTADOS: Después de la implementación del programa, la mediana de tiempo entre el alta y la primera consulta baja de 8,5 a 6 días y el porcentaje de citas que cumplen el objetivo aumenta de 32 a 48,5%. Entre 2012 y 2015, la tasa de intentos de suicidio por paciente y año se reduce de 1,20 a 1,08, y el porcentaje de intentos que corresponde con reintentos de 26,6 a 12,8%. CONCLUSIÓN: La implementación del Programa ARSUIC ha reducido el tiempo entre el alta después de un intento de suicidio y la primera cita ambulatoria. Han disminuido los intentos de suicidio debidos a reintentos y la tasa de intentos por paciente y año. El porcentaje de cumplimiento menor al 50% sugiere diferencias interindividuales en el acceso efectivo al programa

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates the degree of com-pliance and effectiveness of the ARSUIC Suicide Risk Care Program. ARSUIC seeks to reduce the relapse risk that follows a suicide attempt by scheduling a high priority outpatient visit following hospital discharge. METHOD: Hospital-based retrospective study conducted between years 2012 and 2015. We included every suicide attempt treated at the La Paz University Hospital's mental healthcare resources network. We estimated the time between hospital discharge and the first outpatient visit; the proportion of visits that fulfill the program's objective-a follow-up within a maximum of 7 days; the suicide attempt rate; and the percentage of attempts corresponding to re-lapses, by study year. RESULTS: After program deployment, median time be-tween discharge and the first visit decreased from 8.5 to 6 days, and the percentage of visits that fulfill the program's objective increased from 32 to 48.5%. Between years 2012 and 2015, the suicide attempt rate per person and year de-creased from 1.20 to 1.08 and the proportion of attempts corresponding to relapses from 26.6% to 12.8%. CONCLUSION: Implementing the ARSUIC Program lowered the time between discharge and the first outpatient visit following a suicide attempt. The proportion of suicide attempts due to relapses and the suicide attempt rate per person decreased progressively. The program fulfilment proportion was under 50%, suggesting between-user differences regarding their effective access to the program

A Real-World Effectiveness Study Comparing a Priority Appointment, an Enhanced Contact Intervention, and a Psychotherapeutic Program Following Attempted Suicide.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the comparative effectiveness of 3 real-practice preventive programs aimed at lowering the relapse risk following a suicide attempt: a single priority appointment with an outpatient psychiatrist, an enhanced contact intervention, and an individual psychotherapy program. METHODS: This observational study was conducted in a sample of 1,492 suicide attempters from 3 catchment areas in Madrid, Spain, between 2013 and 2017. Relapse was defined as an emergency department return after a new attempt within a 1-year follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival functions were obtained by intervention, and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted risks of relapse by intervention. Sex- and age-stratified analyses were also conducted. Covariates were age, sex, history of suicide attempts, history of psychiatric disorders, main ICD-10 psychiatric diagnostic groups, medical comorbidities, and family support. RESULTS: A total of 133 subjects (8.9%) relapsed. The psychotherapy group had a lower presence of known risk factors for suicide attempt. Individual psychotherapy and enhanced contact were more effective than a single priority appointment at reducing suicide reattempt, with a 40% lower relapse risk in adjusted models. Results did not differ after sex and age stratification. CONCLUSIONS: In a naturalistic clinical setting, patients exposed to individual psychotherapy or an enhanced contact intervention had a similar, lower relapse risk than the single priority appointment group.

An Emergency Department-Initiated Intervention to Lower Relapse Risk after Attempted Suicide.

OBJECTIVE: According to randomized trials, contact after a suicide attempt lowers relapse risk. However, effectiveness studies based on real clinical data can provide additional external validity. METHOD: We conducted an observational study to determine if an emergency department (ED)-initiated intervention for suicide attempt risk reduction, consisting on scheduling a single added appointment within 7 days after discharge following a suicide attempt, can reduce the risk of relapse. The study included 1,775 patients who had been treated at a general hospital ED due to a suicide attempt. The principal outcome measure was ED return after a new attempt. We obtained Kaplan-Meier survival functions and used Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate unadjusted and adjusted risks of relapse by treatment phase. Covariates included: age, gender, history of suicide attempts, history of psychiatric disorders, concurrent alcohol/drug abuse, number of attempts during follow-up, admission as an inpatient and family support. RESULTS: A total of 497 (22.5%) attempts were followed by a relapse. Subjects exposed to the studied intervention had a lower risk of relapse after a suicide attempt, with a 24% adjusted risk reduction estimate. CONCLUSION: Our real-world results suggest that an additional early appointment, scheduled before discharging suicide attempters, reduces suicide reattempt risk.

El papel del placebo en ensayos clínicos en esquizofrenia / The role of the placebo in clinical trials on schizophrenia

En los últimos años se viene observando una tendencia caracterizada por un aumento de las tasas de respuesta a placebo y una disminución de la detección de efectividad de nuevos tratamientos en los ensayos clínicos con antipsicóticos en esquizofrenia, de forma similar a la observada también en pacientes con trastorno depresivo mayor. Puesto que el uso del placebo en investigación sigue siendo la única fórmula válida para demostrar la eficacia de nuevos tratamientos, respetando los aspectos éticos del uso del placebo, es necesario profundizar en qué mecanismos influyen en esta tendencia actual. El objetivo de esta revisión es tratar de conocer por qué se está produciendo esta tendencia y en qué se puede mejorar para contrarrestarla. Para esta propuesta, se revisan aspectos relevantes en cuanto al diseño y desarrollo de ensayos clínicos en esquizofrenia y se plantean los nuevos modelos de diseño que contribuyen a definir de forma válida las tasas de respuesta a placebo y que se están poniendo en práctica en los últimos años en los ensayos clínicos dirigidos a demostrar la eficacia de nuevos tratamientos en pacientes con esquizofrenia (AU)

In recent years, there appears to be a trend towards an increasing placebo response rate and decreasing signal detection of new treatments in clinical trials of antipsychotics in schizophrenia. This has been also observed in patients with major depressive disorder. Since the use of placebo in research remains the only valid formula to demonstrate the effectiveness of new treatments, despite the ethical aspects of the use of placebo, it is necessary to investigate what mechanisms influence this trend. The aim of this review is to find out why this trend is occurring and what can be done to counter it. For this purpose, we review relevant aspects in the design and development of clinical trials in schizophrenia. We will also propose new design models that may help to define the validity of the response rates of placebos, which are being implemented in recent years in clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of new treatments in patients with schizophrenia (AU)