Suicide Risk Documented During Veterans' Last Veterans Affairs Health Care Contacts Prior to Suicide

A total of 295 veterans who died by suicide in 2009 across 11 states and received Veterans Affairs (VA) health care in the 6 months prior to death were identified. The suicide risk factors documented and the care received at these veterans' last VA contacts are described, and the study explores whether veterans present differently to VA care (i.e., different risk factors documented or different care settings accessed) based on the proximity of their last contact to suicide. Many veterans were seen in primary care (n = 136; 46%) for routine follow‐up (n = 168; 57%). Fifty‐three (18%) were assessed for suicidal thoughts; 20 (38%) of whom endorsed such thoughts. Although higher frequencies of some risk factors at last contacts more proximal to suicide compared to those more distal were observed, findings overall highlight the challenges clinicians face detecting enhanced risk prior to suicide.     

Modeling Updating of Perceived Detection Risk: The Role of Personal Experience,Peers, Deterrence Policies,and Impulsivity

ABSTRACT

We investigate how changes in deviant personal experiences, vicarious information, perceptions of deterrence policies, and impulsivity as a conditioning factor affect the perceived detection risk (PDR). We examine this by using the example of plagiarism by German university students using panel data (N = 1,684). Results show, for example, that gaining experience with plagiarism lowered the PDRs, while detection increased the PDRs. Vicarious information indicating low detection risks lowered the PDR of non-plagiarists only. An increase in the estimated use of computer-assisted plagiarism-checks, affected predominantly the PDR of plagiarists. Moreover, more impulsive plagiarists gave less weight to announcements of the use of plagiarism checks.     

A PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL REVIEW OF DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY

This paper argues that depression may be viewed as one of several normal affective developments of pregnancy rooted in some of the physiological events of gestation and that identification of depression during pregnancy may be difficult (but nonetheless important) because the symptoms of pregnancy and depression are confounded. Studies are reviewed that suggest variations in the incidence and course of depression during pregnancy, some biological bases for such depression when it occurs, some systems through which it might operate, and the possible need for biological and psychological interventions.     

Conforming to coordinate: Children use majority information for peer coordination

Humans are constantly required to coordinate their behaviour with others. As this often relies on everyone's convergence on the same strategy (e.g., driving on the left side of the road), a common solution is to conform to majority behaviour. In this study, we presented 5‐year‐old children with a coordination problem: To retrieve some rewards, they had to choose the same of four options as a peer partner – in reality a stooge – whose decision they were unable to see. Before making a choice, they watched a video showing how other children from their partner's peer group had behaved; a majority chose the same option and a minority chose a different one. In a control condition, children watched the same video but could then retrieve the reward irrespective of their partner's choice (i.e., no coordination was necessary). Children followed the majority more often when coordination was required. Moreover, conformers mostly justified their choices by referring to the majority from the video demonstration. This study is the first to show that young children are able to strategically coordinate decisions with peers by conforming to the majority.