Prevalence of Suicide Risk Factors and Suicide‐Related Outcomes in the National Mental Health Study,Colombia

A community survey in 4,426 adults was undertaken as part of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative reporting the prevalence and risk factors for suicide‐related outcomes in Colombia. Lifetime prevalence estimates of suicide ideation, plans, attempts, and risk factors for suicide‐related outcomes were assessed. Retrospective reports of disorders age‐of‐onset were used to study associations between primary mental disorders and first onset of suicide‐related outcomes. Risks of plans and attempts were highest with ideation early age‐of‐onset and within the first year. The highest risk for ideation and attempt among ideators occurred in the 18–29 age group. After first employment (defined as the first paid job accepted by the respondent) and presence of mental disorders constituted risk factors. Impulse‐control disorders were strongest diagnostic predictors.     

Seasonality of Violent Suicides in the Athens Greater Area

The aim of the study was to ascertain suicide seasonality in the Greek population and to associate this seasonal variation with age, sex, and suicide method. Studying seasonality can be of help in establishing a public health policy, related with suicide prevention. This is an epidemiologic study based on forensic evidence. We studied the deaths caused by self‐injury (trauma), namely deaths by violent suicide (not self‐poisoning). Statistically significant suicide seasonality was established with a peak in May. This seasonal variation is attributed mainly to males. As for the method, suicide by hanging peaks in June and by shooting in April. It was also observed that seasonality for individuals above the age of 45 peaks in early May.     

Association between Terror Attacks and Suicide Attempts

Based on Durkheim's ‘Control theory,’ we explored the association between frequency of terror attacks in Israel and the frequency of suicide attempts admitted to the Emergency Room of a major general hospital in Tel‐Aviv (1999–2004). Analysis of the six‐year study period as a whole revealed no significant correlation between the variables, with the exception of one 11‐month segment within it (December 2000–October 2001) that did show a statistically significant positive correlation, and in opposition to Durkeim's hypothesis. It is suggested that suicide attempts as a phenomena should be seen as a product of a multivariate model, in which the social context plays a role as well.     

Female Suicide Rates in Ghizer,Pakistan

Suicide is an understudied subject in Pakistan. There are many social, legal, and religious sanctions against it. National rates of suicides are not known. We calculated suicide rates of women in the Ghizer District of the remote Northern Areas of Pakistan. During years 2000 to 2004, 49 women committed suicide. Taking average mean population for women for 5 years as 65,783, we calculated annual crude suicide rates for women as 14.89/100,000/year. For women over the age of 15 years, rates were 33.22/100,000/year; age‐specific rates for 15–24 years were 61.07/100,000 per year. These figures are considerably higher than suicide rates in other parts of Pakistan and may be related to high psychiatric morbidity in Pakistani women. This study underscores the need for a standardized system of registration of suicides in Pakistan. There is also urgent need to address high psychological distress in women in Pakistan.     

A Psychometric Investigation of the Suicide Status Form II with a Psychiatric Inpatient Sample

We investigated the psychometric validity and reliability of the Suicide Status Form‐II (SSF‐II) developed by Jobes, Jacoby, Cimbolic, and Hustead (1997) . Participants were 149 psychiatric inpatients (108 suicidal; 41 nonsuicidal) at the Mayo Clinic. Each participant completed assessment measures within 24 hours of admission and 48–72 hours later. Factor analyses of the SSF core assessment produced a robust two‐factor solution reflecting chronic and acute response styles. The SSF core assessment had good to excellent convergent and criterion validity; pre‐post SSF ratings also demonstrated moderate test‐retest reliability. The results replicated previous research and show that the SSF‐II is psychometrically sound with a high‐risk suicidal inpatient sample.     

Suicide Ideation and Attempts among Low‐Income African American Adolescents

We examined the impact of risk and protective factors on the odds that African American adolescents seriously think about or attempt suicide. Data from students in grades 5–12 in a mostly urban, southeastern U.S. school district were analyzed. Findings support earlier work documenting differences in gender and grades. Risk factors were uniformly significant in understanding both ideation and attempts. Protective factors were not consistent predictors; the lowering role of religious protective factors was limited, though student's belonging to or their perception of belonging to a spiritual community was a significant factor in lowering the odds of suicide ideation.     

Mimetic Relation as Matching-to-Sample Observing Response and the Emergence of Speaker Relations in Children with and without Hearing Impairments

This study investigated the effect of matching-to-sample and mimetic-relations teaching on the emergence of signed tact and textual repertoire through a multiple-baseline design, across three groups of three words in children with and without hearing impairments and with no reading repertoire. Following mimetic-relations teaching and the establishment of nine three-member stimulus classes containing signs, pictures, and printed words via matching-to-sample procedure, including the mimetic relation as the differential observing response, tact (signing in the presence of a picture) and textual (signing in the presence of a printed word) emergent repertoires were tested. Results showed the emergence of signed tact and textual responses. The mimetic relation brought in under the contextual control of a matching-to-sample task may have allowed participants to simultaneously learn speaker and listener relations to the particular signs used.

     

Feeling Good & Doing Well: Development of a Mental Health Promotion Program for Youth

There is a significant dearth of programs for mental health promotion developed to suit the needs of Indian youth. The paper describes the development of a program entitled "Feeling Good and Doing Well" for enhancement of well being and functioning in college youth. The program development was based on extensive field assessment of stakeholders' perspectives and needs. It is a broad based program that encompasses three inter related themes namely, discovery and application of strengths, pursuit of goals and regulation of emotions. It is delivered in a group format in the form of experiential workshop series comprising of six core sessions, apart from one orientation session at the beginning and a closure session at the end. The program is currently being field tested and has a high potential for large scale applications across colleges in the country.