Author: yes louise s larsen

Fewer suicide attempts among young people

Suicidal behavior is a public health issue. The high rates of suicide attempts, particularly among young people and women, require ongoing monitoring of trends. Britt Reuter Morthorst from DRISP has recently completed an examination of the trends of suicide attempts by gender and age in Denmark during the period 2000–2021.

National linkage data for all individuals aged 10 years and older were analyzed. Suicide attempts were identified using data on hospital contacts. The method, joinpoint analyses, was applied to detect significant changes, i.e., increases or decreases, in suicide attempt rates over time.

The results showed that the highest rates of suicide attempts are still observed among younger individuals. Young men and women aged 19–24 had rates of 146 for men and 379 for women per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. Over time, the greatest improvements, measured as annual percentual changes, were observed in the youngest age groups. Between 2012 and 2015, the suicide attempt rate for males aged 19-24 years decreased with 18%, a statistically significant finding. Among women aged 19–24, the suicide attempt rate decreased annually with 19% during the period 2012–2016. Poisoning was the most commonly used method.

No direct correlation between the international economic crisis in 2008 and changes of suicide attempt rates were identified. Instead, the rates appeared to have plateaued in the years earlier. A significant decline in the suicide attempt rate among women was observed during the years when age and packsize restrictions on over-the-counter painkillers were introduced, suggesting that these legislative measures influenced the trend in suicide attempt rates. The continued fluctuations of the rates, particularly among younger age groups, underscore the importance of an ongoing monitoring.


Link to the study:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-024-02795-y

DRISP:

  • Britt Reuter Morthorst
  • Michella Heinrichsen
  • Annette Erlangsen

Individuals Diagnosed with Tinnitus have elevated rates of suicide

People with a hospital-diagnosed tinnitus have a 40% higher suicide rate when compared to those without a such diagnosis. This is the finding of a new study conducted in Denmark and highlights the critical need for awareness and support for patients who are challenged by their tinnitus.

The study was conducted by Dr Martin Mølhave of the University Clinic of Flavour, Balance and Sleep at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Gødstrup Hospital in collaboration with Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention and University of Oxford. The study, which is published in Journal of Psychosomatic Research, demonstrates a significant association between tinnitus and suicide based on analyses of data on more than 7.4 million Danish residents collected over the past 30 years.

Individuals who numerous times attended hospital due to tinnitus had an even higher suicide rate, especially during the time of and shortly after their hospital contact. The highest suicide rates were found among those with both tinnitus and mental disorders, thus, highlighting the challenges if there are pre-existing conditions.

“Conclusive evidence regarding the link between tinnitus and suicide risks did not exist, which is why we decided to conduct this study,” explains medical doctor Martin Mølhave. “Tinnitus presents a challenge in the clinical setting, as there is no curative treatment for most patients. It is our experience that some patients are highly affected by their tinnitus. It was therefore very important for us to investigate to identify high-risk groups and determine when risks are particularly pronounced.”

Tinnitus has been described as the hearing of sounds, such as ringing, although there is no external noise. It has been linked to hearing loss and may be a significant source of distress. Globally, about one in seven people experience tinnitus, of which approximately 2% experience severe problems. In Denmark, one in eight people reported to have tinnitus in 2021. Of these, 4% considered that tinnitus impacted their health negatively, equivalent of nearly 200,000 Danes.

“Suicide is a rare event, so even though there is a 40% increased risk among people with tinnitus, this affects only few patients”, says senior researcher Annette Erlangsen from DRISP. “In the general population, approx. 16 out of 100,000 people die by suicide each year. For patients with tinnitus the suicide rate is approx. 24 out of 100,000 people per year. Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention to those patients who have difficulty with tinnitus.”

The negative effects of tinnitus may be alleviated through counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and sound therapy. It is possible that these types of support also may help reduce risks of suicide. The findings from this study underscore the importance of reaching out with support and effective interventions.

DRISP:

  • Annette Erlangsen

Link to the study:

https://shorturl.at/qjnzo

Collaborative partners:

  • Martin Møllehave, Sebastian Udholm og Terese Ovesen Universitetsklinik for Flavour, Balance og Søvn ved Afdeling for Øre-, Næse- og Halskirurgi, Regionshospitalet Gødstrup.
  • Keith Hawton, Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Website for parents of children with suicide attempt

In collaboration with people with lived experiences, DRISP has developed a website for parents of children with suicide attempt (www.selvmordsforsøg.dk). The website is now finalised and freely available for all. On the website, users will find video clips with parents (re-recorded by actors) talking about their personal experiences, an ‘advice robot’ Roberta, Q&A, supporting statements, and information on available resources, such as helplines and NGOs. The website is available in Danish and does have some comparison to the one offered by the US-based healthtalk (https://healthtalk.org/introduction/self-harm-parents-experiences/)

In one of the video clips, a mother tells about how she has chosen to talk to her daughter about her suicidal thoughts: “I have had to ask my daughter directly how progressed these thoughts were, i.e. how she envisioned acting on the thoughts, and doing so without me getting angry or extremely sad”.

The wesite is avilable in Danish only

http://www.selvmordsforsøg.dk

DRISP: Anette Juel Kynde, Annette Erlangsen, Jette LS Larsen

Nikolaj Kjær Høier wins awards for assignment and presentation

Nikolaj Kjær Høier who is a Research Assistant in DRISP and medical students won the 2nd prize in the competition for the Danish Region’s Award for Medical Students in Clinical Psychiatry at the annual meeting of the Danish Psychiatric Society on 15 March for the study “Association between treatment with hypnotics and suicide and attempted suicide: a nationwide cohort study”.

Prof. Martin Balslev Jørgensen presented the award and stated, on behalf of the award committee, that: “The award acknowledges that this is an important registry study on a topic, which often does not receive sufficient recognition. In addition, the committee remarked that the study contributes with exciting results based on thorough statistical analyses while accounting for relevant confounders. The committee also agreed that the discussion was good.“ The 2nd prize is accompanied by DKK 15,000.

DRISP is, furthermore, happy to share that Nikolaj Høier also won the prize for the best lightning round presentation at the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Asia Pacific Conference in Bangkok, Thailand for his poster presentation of the study “The associations between suicide and hypnotics: a nationwide cohort study.”

CONGRATULATIONS, Nikolaj!

WHO National Suicide prevention strategies

WHO National Suicide Prevention Plans
WHO has released a report on national suicide prevention plans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a status report on national suicide prevention plans. The report emphasizes that national plans are important for setting the topic of suicide prevention on the political agenda. A national strategy with an accompanying prevention plan is essential to implement suicide prevention. Without an overarching plan, efforts are at risk of failing and suicide rates remaining unchanged.

The report aims to be a resource tool to inspire governments and policy-makers to implement a national action plan in the field. Examples of national action plans from different WHO regions are presented.

Link to report: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/national-suicide-prevention-strategies-progress-examples-and-indicators

In 2021, WHO released guidelines on how to implement a suicide prevention plan. The guide, which called “Live Life”, provides concrete instructions on how to facilitate suicide prevention. It can be used to design national efforts, but the instructions also apply to smaller geographical or administrative units, such as local communities. The guidelines describes how to organize efforts and provides examples of concrete interventions, which previously have been shown to be effective.

Link to LIVE LIFE: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240026629

Prevention of suicide and suicide attempts in the Nordic countries: A situation analysis

Every suicide death is one too many. A goal of reducing the number of suicides by 25% in 2025 has been put forward by the Nordic Council Welfare Committee’s 2025 Ambition. This is in line with the United Nation’s World Goals for Sustainable Development of a 33% reduction of the suicide mortality rate in the world by 2030.

To gain an overview and to examine whether the suicide rates of the Nordic are decreasing, the Nordic Counsel of Ministers commissioned Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention (DRISP) to conduct a Situation Analysis. This situation analysis provides an overview as well as summarizes existing efforts and main challenges. It aims to provide information of relevance for policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and people who are interested in reducing the burden of suicide in the Nordic countries.

DRISP has prepared the report by in collaboration with a long list of highly established researchers and experts in the Nordic countries. The report has now been published by the Nordic Counsel of Ministers.

Some of the main findings are:

  • In 2022, a total of 3,574 individuals died by suicide in the Nordic countries.
  • The highest suicide rate was found in Greenland.
  • With respect to UN’s goal of a 33% reduction in the suicide mortality rate, there has only been achieved modest over recent years in Nordic countries.
  • Suicide statistics from Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aaland Islands are seemingly not being reported to the WHO Mortality Database.
  • Suicide attempts are seemingly not been monitored in almost all of the Nordic countries.
  • Almost all Nordic countries have a national plan for suicide prevention.
  • Follow-up routines for people who present with suicide attempts in somatic emergency departments are seemingly missing in most countries.

Link to the full report can be found here:

Report from the Nordic Counsel of Ministers

Suicidal thought- and behavior among Danish adolescents

Up to one-third of Danish adolescents have experienced suicidal thoughts. This was shown in a study from DRISP, which has recently been published in European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The study was based on questionnaire data from over 47,000 participants aged 18 years in the Danish National Birth Cohort. The findings revealed that 36% of girls and 28% of boys had experienced suicidal thoughts, and one in four of these had made suicide plans. Additionally, 6% of girls and 3% of boys had attempted suicide before turning 18 years. A significant portion of those—especially the boys—did not go to the hospital after the suicide attempt. In fact, among those 5.7% who reported having had a suicide attempt, only 1.7% had been recorded with a hospital contact. In previous studies, this difference has been compared to ‘the hidden part of the iceberg’, i.e. located below the surface of the sea and, thus, not visible.

Furthermore, suicide attempts were more frequent among adolescents with lower parental income.

“It is highly concerning that in a normal class, 2-3 adolescents would have experiences of serious suicidal behavior. We do not know whether these adolescents receive the help they need, especially those who do not present at the hospital after a suicide attempt,” states Ph.D-student Stine Danielsen who conducted the study. These results empathize the need for increased awareness and efforts toward mental health and suicidal behavior among adolescents. Universal prevention strategies tar¬geting adolescents with suicidality in community-based efforts, such as school interventions, may reach those who do not present in the healthcare system.

The study also provided validation for an algorithm, which identifies adolescents with a hospital-recorded suicide attempt, as a major share of these also had self-reported a suicide attempt. The algorithm was developed to identify suicide attempts in Danish registers may therefore be considered as reliable for identification of suicide attempts among adolescents.

DRISP:

Stine Danielsen, Merete Nordentoft, Annette Erlangsen, Trine Madsen

Link to the study:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-024-02503-w

Collaborative partners:

•  Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, University of Copenhagen

•  Keith Hawton, University of Oxford

Nikolaj Kjær Høier wins the second prize in the Danish Regions’ Prize Competition for Medical Students in Clinical Psychiatry

Nikolaj Høier from DRISP was awarded the 2nd Prize in the Danish Regions’ Prize Competition for Medical Students in Clinical Psychiatry at the Danish Psychiatric Society’s Annual Meeting on March 15th. The winning entry was titled ‘Associations of treatment with hypnotics with suicide and attempted suicide: a nationwide cohort study.’

The prize was presented by Prof. Martin Balslev Jørgensen, who stated on behalf of the judging committee that:

The prize entry represents an important registry study within a field that is often underestimated. The committee noted that the entry provides exciting results through appropriate statistical analyses with adjustments for confounders. Furthermore, the committee agreed that the discussion was of high quality.

The judging committee decided to award the 2nd Prize of 15,000 DKK.

Rewatch the workshop: Artificial Intelligence and Camera Surveillance as Means for Suicide Prevention in Public Places

DRISP, DSB, Banedanmark, Livslinien and University of Copenhagen are inviting you to a workshop on:.

Date: Nov 11, 2022

Time: 9.00-15.00

Place: Teams (online)

01. Integration of CCTV and Machine Learning for Prevention of Suicide at Public Places in Australia by
Dr. Mark Larsen, Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia

02. Implementation of Camera Surveillance for Suicide Prevention in the Stockholm Metro System by Johan Fredin-Knutzén, Nationellt centrum för suicidforskning och prevention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Arne Grundberg, SL/Region Stockholm, Sweden

03. Investigating the Effectiveness of Surveillance Technologies to Prevent Suicides at ‘High-Risk’ Locations in the UK by Dr Lisa Marzano, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, UK & Dr Jay-Marie Mackenzie, University of Westminster, UK

04. Prevention of railway suicide by camera surveillance in the Netherlands by Kristian Ruiter, manager ‘Camera surveillance’, ProRail

05. Safe lives – efficient AI surveillance to alert trains in real-time in Denmark by Martin Riishøj Mathiasen, DSB

06. ‘OPEN MICROPHONE’: What are some of the main challenges in this field? Send us your questions and we’ll have an open discussion, which all participants can join. Chaired by Annette Erlangsen

07. Identifying Behaviours of persons at risk of suicide from CCTV surveillance in Canada by Professor Brian L Mishara, Psychology Department, Director, Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End of Life Practices (CRISE) Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

08. Intelligent video surveillance for automatic detection of suicide attempts (Recorded talk) in Canada by Professor Wassim Bouachir, Computer Sciences, TÉLUQ University, and Montreal, Canada and Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End of Life Practices (CRISE) Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

09. PANEL DISCUSSION: FUTURE DIRECTIONS by Participants: – Nils la Cour, Safety Manager, Danish State Railways (chair) – Brian L Mishara, Psychology Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. – Steffen Petersen, DSB Digital Labs, Denmark.

Rewatch the workshop: Prevention of railway suicide

DRISP, DSB, Banedanmark, Livslinien, and University of Copenhagen.

Recorded the Nov 2, 2020
Time: 10.00-14.45

Welcome by Prof. Merete Nordentoft and Nils la Cour (7 min)

Opening speech
by Danish Minister for Transport, Benny Engelbrecht (14 min)

Suicide by railway in Denmark by Christian Ørbæk Larsen, Banedanmark (3,5 min)

Prevention of suicide by railway: an overview by Annette Erlangsen PhD, DRISP (23 min)

How does railway suicides affect train drivers? Tommy Damstedt Jørgensen, Peer supporter, Danish Railways (15 min)

LiDAR technology for surveying train platforms by Mark Bouldin, Hitachi, United Kingdom (37 min)

Factors deterring and prompting the decision to attempt suicide on the railway networks by Lisa Marzano PhD, Department of Psychology, Middlesex University London, UK (40 min)

Suicide Prevention on the Dutch Railways: moving beyond physical and organisational barriers by Roald van der Valk, ProRail Safety and Security, The Netherlands (27 min)

Suicide in the transport system in Sweden by Anna-Lena Andersson PhD, Swedish Transport Administration. (23 min)

PANEL DISCUSSION with directors of the Danish Railways and political spokespersons (7 min)

Merete Nordentoft receives award from NOVO Nordic 2020

Professor Merete Nordentoft from DRISP and Copenhagen Research Center For Mental Health has received this year’s Award from Novo Nordic together with a professor at Aarhus University for their research on suicide and mortality in relation to schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Twenty years ago, evidence-based knowledge on risks of suicide and o psychiatric comorbidity among people suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders was rather limited. Professor Merete Nordentoft has together with Preben Bo Mortensen from Aarhus University helped change this. With their research on suicide and mortality among people with schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders, they have made significant contributions to the international understanding on prevention of suicide and severe mental disorders.

In recognition of this, the Novo Nordisk Fund this year chose to give the Novo Nordisk Prize 2020 to Merete Nordentoft and Preben Bo Mortensen.

Ascending Investigator for Trine Madsen

Trine Madsen from DRISP has recently received the ”Ascending Investigators Grant” from the Lundbeck Foundation to conduct the research project “Young People’s Risk of Suicide Attempt (YRSA).

The rate of suicide attempt in adolescents has been increasing for the last decades, especially in young girls. Suicide attempt is the best-established risk factor for subsequent death by suicide, therefore this increasing trend is alarming.

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Trine Madsen from DRISP has recently received the ”Ascending Investigators Grant” from the Lundbeck Foundation to conduct the research project “Young People’s Risk of Suicide Attempt (YRSA).

The rate of suicide attempt in adolescents has been increasing for the last decades, especially in young girls. Suicide attempt is the best-established risk factor for subsequent death by suicide, therefore this increasing trend is alarming.

Reportedly, only up to 9-25% of those adolescents who attempt suicide are seen at somatic hospitals, implying that up to 90% of all teenagers in a crisis situation with a suicide attempt may have not received professional help for their suicidal behavior. The YRSA project aims to document prevalences and early risk factors for suicide attempt in both those seen at somatic hospitals for suicide attempt and in those who self-reported suicide attempt but do not seek somatic treatment. Further, the aim is to examine barriers and facilitators of seeking help from mental health services after a suicide attempt. The YRSA project, which combines self-reported data from the Danish National Birth Cohort with register-based data, are unique for this purpose.

The Ascending Investigators grant is given to established and talented scientists at Danish research institutions to further develop their careers and to make significant research contributions. It is an honor to receive a such prestigious award.

Read more about the project: [Link]

Trine Madsen get Nordentoft award 2020

Trine Madsen receives the award for her important contributions within register-based research on mental illnesses, infections, traumatic brain trauma and deployments to war zones as risk factors for suicide. She has, among others, demonstrated that the time after discharge from a psychiatric hospital in Denmark is a high-risk period for suicide, which ought to be targeted by interventions.

Trine Madsen is an international expert in trajectory analyses and has studied the development of suicidal thoughts among patients with bipolar disorder, depression disorders and schizophrenia in USA and Holland. She has also helped set up a large intervention study aimed at preventing suicide after discharge from a psychiatric hospital.

The Nordentoft Award was set up by the Association for Education and Research on Suicide Prevention to mark Professor Merete Nordentoft’s great contributions within suicide prevention research in Denmark. The objective of the award is to promote suicide prevention and to make the efforts within this field visible to a broader audience.

As both research and preventive efforts are important and needed disciplines to secure reductions in the numbers of suicide, the Nordentoft Award is every second year given to a practitioner and in other years to a researcher.

DRISP-seminar: Psychosocial and digital suicide prevention

Date: February 14th, 2020
Time: 9.30-12.15
Stream of DRISP seminar:

https://region-hovedstaden-
ekstern.23video.com/secret/60534150/13f177355f751579fe3f8b9bbd2975c0
(introduktion begynder efter 8 minutter)

PROGRAM:

Welcome by Prof. Merete Nordentoft, Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention

Digital phenotyping and suicide prevention by Prof. Heleen Riper, Section of Clinical Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Psychosocial interventions for suicide prevention by Prof. Ad Kerkhof, Vrije University Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Digital interventions for youth with suicidal ideation or self-harm by Prof. Sarah Hetrick, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand