Helping Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Who Are at Imminent Risk of Suicide: The Importance of Active Engagement,Active Rescue,and Collaboration Between Crisis and Emergency Services

In 2012, the SAMHSA‐funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) completed implementation of the first national Policy for Helping Callers at Imminent Risk of Suicide across its network of crisis centers. The policy sought to: (1) provide a clear definition of imminent risk; (2) reflect the state of evidence, field experience, and promising practices related to reducing imminent risk through hotline interventions; and (3) provide a uniform policy and approach that could be applied across crisis center settings. The resulting policy established three essential principles: active engagement, active rescue, and collaboration between crisis and emergency services. A sample of the research and rationale that underpinned the development of this policy is provided here. In addition, policy implementation, challenges and successes, and implications for interventions to help Lifeline callers at imminent risk of suicide are detailed.     

Identifying the role of sociodemographic factors in major depressive disorder and suicidality among Spanish-speaking Latino patients in a federally qualified health center

Rates of suicide and major depressive disorder (MDD) are currently at the highest point in the history of the United States (US). However, these rates are not distributed evenly among the population and Latinos show disproportionately high rates of both suicide and MDD. Yet, past research has infrequently explored factors related to suicide and MDD in primary care settings that serve as the major community portal for mental health among the Latino population. Thus, the current study investigated sociodemographic variables (marital status, nativity, education, employment, primary language, age, and gender) in terms of their relations with suicidal ideation, suicide risk, MDD, and MDD symptom severity among Latino primary care patients in a Federally Qualified Health Center (N = 634, M _age = 39.46, SD = 11.46, 87.1% female). Results indicated that gender and Nativity were associated with suicidal ideation, older age was associated with suicide risk, and higher education and having a partner were negatively associated with MDD and depressive symptom severity. These results provide novel insight into the role of sociodemographic factors predicting suicide and MDD among Latinos in primary care, and suggest greater scientific and clinical attention can be focused on certain sociodemographic factors to offset mental health disparities among this group.     

The Certification of Suicide in Eleven Western States: An Inquiry into the Validity of Reported Suicide Rates

ABSTRACT: From Durkheim's time to the present social researchers interested in the problem of suicide have relied upon officially reported rates of suicide to develop and test their theories. Despite the fact that the validity of any theory rests upon the accuracy of its underlying data, the relative accuracy of reported suicide rates have rarely been questioned or systematically evaluated. This paper investigates the process of death certification as practiced by a sample of 191 coroners in 11 western states. Findings indicate extensive variation in the backgrounds, professional resources, operating procedures, and governing statutes of coroners and coroners' offices and in policies concerning the use of the suicide mode. Since the coroner is generally charged with the official responsibility for certifying the mode of death when unnatural mode is suspect, the extent of variation found here calls into question the validity and comparability of reported suicide rates.     

变性手术面临的困境与对策研究

变性人这一因变性手术而产生的新的社会群体正在走进公众的视野,然而法律对变性手术及对变性人这一特殊人群的保护却并不完善.2009年,我国出台了＆lt;变性手术技术管理规范（试行）＆gt;,对变性手术引发的社会、法律、伦理等问题进行具体规定.随着变性手术的新进展与新变化,加强变性手术的管理,保障变性人的权益等问题均需进一步深入的研究与探索.对变性手术面临的困境和对策加以研究必将有利于各国人权保障的完善和社会生产生活的稳定,从而在此基础上谋求更长久的发展.     

Comparing implementation intention interventions in relation to young adults’ intake of fruit and vegetables

This study tests whether the effectiveness of implementation intention-based interventions to increase fruit and vegetable intake in a young adult population can be enhanced using additional pre-intervention instructions and alternative formats; namely, an ‘if-then’ implementation intention versus a more general, ‘global’ plan that does not explicitly link a situational cue with a goal-directed response. Participants (N?=?557) completed pre-test measures of planning, motivation and behaviour with respect to increasing their fruit and vegetable intake before being randomised to a 3 (intervention format: control vs. ‘if-then’ vs. ‘global’ implementation intentions)?×?2 (pre-intervention instruction vs. no pre-intervention instruction) between-participants design. Results revealed a significant intervention format by time interaction, such that intake significantly increased by 0.50 portions in the if-then format condition compared with 0.31 in the global format and 0.01 in the control condition. These results suggest that ‘if-then’ manipulations are superior in promoting behaviour change in an applied setting. The use of pre-intervention instructions had no additional effect on behaviour, providing evidence for the efficacy of implementation intentions even when experimenter demand is reduced. Evidence is also presented to suggest that reported increases in intake are not related to demand characteristics.     

Combat Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Portuguese Special Operation Forces Deployed in Afghanistan

Several combat- and noncombat-related stressors have been reported in Afghanistan. There is now accumulating evidence that suggests that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to combat experiences; however, little is known about how these exposures might affect elite combat troops. This research aims to evaluate the prevalence of combat and noncombat related stressors, as well as PTSD in Portuguese Special Forces deployed in Afghanistan. Overall, participants reported high levels of exposure to combat and adverse physical conditions but also high levels of within-unit comradeship. The analysis also exposed that 2.7% of the participants reported symptoms compatible with PTSD and 8.8% with compatible partial PTSD. When the authors conducted a binary logistic regression, only the higher levels of combat exposure explained the symptoms of PTSD.     

脑钠肽和内皮素在慢性阻塞性肺疾病的应用研究

探讨脑钠肽、内皮素测定在慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者肺动脉高压、病情严重程度及近期预后评估的意义.观察60例COPD急性加重期患者,60例经治疗转为稳定期的患者,以30例健康者作对照.COPD急性加重期患者根据肺动脉压力分为肺动脉高压组(A组)30例、肺动脉压力正常组(B组)30例,根据病情分为轻度组21例、中度组23例、重度组16例.用免疫分析法测定血浆脑钠肽、内皮素浓度.结果COPD急性加重期组脑钠肽、内皮素浓度明显升高,稳定期组明显下降(P＜0.001),但仍高于健康对照组(P＜0.001);A组明显高于B组(P＜0.05);重度组高于中度组(P＜0.05),中度组高于轻度组(P＜0.05).说明脑钠肽、内皮素浓度可反映COPD患者肺动脉压力情况及病情严重程度,有利于其疗效及近期预后评估.