Issue 9
| SPINZ news June 2007 |
In this issue:
- New postvention support initiative update
- Suicide prevention budget announcement
- National Depression Campaign newsletter launched
- Like Minds, Like Mine website relaunched
- Postgraduate suicide prevention course offered
- Health Research Council funding
- Mental Health Foundation news briefs
- New Zealand research news
- New Resources:
 |
Information service and resource centre weekly bulletin
For weekly email news updates from the Mental Health Foundation National Information Service, including SPINZ news updates, subscribe to the bulletin at info@mentalhealth.org.nz
To order suicide prevention publications and brochures click here.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Postvention Support Initiative Update
 |
 |
Contributed by Dr Louise Smith, Clinical Manager, Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa. www.casa.org.nz
In early 2007 the Postvention Support Initiative was launched. This initiative comprises three different services aimed at supporting families, whanau and communities:
- The Suicide Bereavement Support Service;
- Postvention Planning for Communities;
- The Flexible Response Team
The aim for all services is to work within a research and development model, where services are piloted and evaluated prior to national roll out. In addition, a research project is being conducted to evaluate two different models of assistance for families impacted by a loved one making a serious suicide attempt.
Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa ("CASA") and Victim Support are working together to provide different aspects of the Suicide Bereavement Support Service, while CASA provides the Postvention Planning and the Flexible Response Team. Both organisations work collaboratively.
The bereavement service itself is run by Victim Support. It begins in Auckland at the start of June, and in the Canterbury and East Coast districts in mid June. In all other areas of New Zealand Victim Support will continue to operate its pre-existing service. The focus of this update is on the workforce development component of the Suicide Bereavement Support Service.
In the past months CASA staff members have begun training Victim Support workers for the new bereavement service. The training seminars CASA provides cover the experiences of bereavement following suicide; practical steps needed to assist families and significant others; how to complete needs assessments and how to screen for increased risk of suicide in the family members and friends themselves. The emphasis is upon timely, sensitive practice delivered within a bereavement framework.
The workers recruited to the service receive general Victim Support training, and then proceed through a specific selection process. If successful they join a specialist team that is responsible for service provision in their region. As part of training workers undergo a competency based assessment of their skills. This must be successfully completed prior to beginning work in the service.
Their work is then supervised by a bereavement specialist employed by Victim Support. This specialist has ongoing meetings with a CASA clinical advisor and has access to CASA support and advice. In addition CASA's information systems are designed to support the practice of the new bereavement workers and to allow monitoring by CASA staff, ensuring families, whanau and significant others receive the highest level of service.
The next months will see Victim Support establish the bereavement service in the pilot areas with CASA providing ongoing workforce development. It is envisaged that the community based focus provided by Victim Support, along with the specialist clinical skills provided by CASA will establish an effective and respectful service for families and significant others.
More details
|
Further initiatives for suicide prevention funded – Budget 2007
Jim Anderton, Associate Minister of Health, has announced $23.1 million over four years to support a range of suicide prevention initiatives as part of the implementation of the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy, launched last year. more
|
National Depression Campaign newsletter launched
Depression Matters – The first issue newsletter of the National Depression Campaign launched
|
Like Minds, Like Mine website relaunched
|
Postgraduate suicide prevention course offered
Suicidal Behaviours, Research and Prevention postgraduate course, from July 18 (4 x 2 day courses), offered at Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, click here for details.
|
Health Research Council funding
Health Research Council extends funding to two major Christchurch-based mental health research programmes.
"Longitudinal studies in mental health and wellbeing, led by Professor David Fergusson at CSMHS, have received an additional $3.8 million. These include the Christchurch Health and Development longitudinal study, a major, internationally recognised longitudinal study which has tracked the health and wellbeing of more than 1000 children born in Christchurch in 1977; the Canterbury Suicide project; and the Early Start Field Trial – a trial of a family support programme for at risk families with young children.
The Mental Health Clinical Research Unit lead by Professor Peter Joyce at CSMHS has received $3.3 million additional funding. The programme will continue its trials into bipolar disorder and bulimia and the genetics of depression."
See also MÄori health research funding boost : including increased funding for Te Pumanawa Hauora, led by Prof. Mason Durie at Massey University; the Wharaiki Research Group, Massey University funding to examine the impact of negative depictions of M?ori in the media; the Donald Beasley Institute "Growing up kapo MÄori"
|
Mental Health Foundation news briefs
- Special library collection for children and young people
- Mental Health Awareness week 8-14 October
- New employment research and guides, & other MHF online resources
- Mental Health Media Grants programme
|
Patterns of antidepressant drug prescribing and intentional self-harm outcomes in New Zealand: an ecological study, Ministry of Health, released May 2007.
"The study was unable to answer the question of whether SSRIs are more strongly linked with suicide, though on balance researchers believe the study does seem to provide some support for the view that SSRIs do seem to be a safer option in terms of preventing deaths... Individuals first prescribed SSRIs should be monitored for the early period after initial prescribing when the risk of harm or suicide was thought to be higher due to the way the drugs work." See Ministry of Health media release - link to online copy of study.
|
The NZ Injury Prevention Programmes Database (NZIPPD) will provide a comprehensive list of injury prevention programmes and initiatives. It has been designed as a tool to support people in the health and safety as well as injury prevention sectors to plan, and work together more effectively, at national, regional and local levels. People will be able to search for programmes in their region or under a particular target group, setting or injury prevention area, more.
|
Mulder, Roger (2007). Suicide Prevention in New Zealand. editorial in New Zealand Medical Journal 120(1251): U2463
Discusses the importance of the formation of the Suicide Research Network (SRN) in New Zealand and the challenge of translating good evidence into effective policy. Mulder also discusses recent media criticisms of Dr Annette Beautrais on the role of media reporting in suicide prevention - "Dr Beautrais' position simply reflects the current consensus on media reporting and suicide held by most organisations involved in suicide prevention in New Zealand, and internationally" says Dr Mulder.
Beautrais, Annette, & Fergusson, David, et al. (2007). Effective strategies for suicide prevention in New Zealand: a review of the evidence. New Zealand Medical Journal, 120(1251): U2459.
"A national suicide prevention strategy for New Zealand was developed in 2006... The available evidence thus far suggests that the most promising interventions likely to be effective in reducing suicidal behaviours are medical practitioner and gatekeeper education, and restriction of access to lethal means of suicide. This evidence also suggests a clear agenda for research..." - from abstract
|
Pearce, J., Barnett, R., Collings, S., & Jones, I. (2007). Did geographical inequalities in suicide among men aged 15-44 in New Zealand increase during the period 1980-2001? Australian and N Z Journal of Psychiatry, 41(4), 359-365.
"Geographical inequalities in suicide among men aged 15-44 grew during the period 1980-2001 and remain at high levels. The greatest increase in inequality was during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period of rapid social and economic change to New Zealand society" - from abstract
|
Cultural disconnection key to Maori suicide rates
Discusses research being undertaken by Dr Nicole Coupe (Health Research Council of New Zealand):
– not being connected to MÄoritanga (M?ori culture) has been identified as a key risk factor associated with attempted suicide among MÄori
– depression in MÄori is often missed by health practitioners because symptoms can be similar to physical illness.
|
The complete June 2007 issue of Suicide and life-threatening behavior journal is freely available online.
Read the editorial for an overview of the articles in this issue.
Two articles look at new terms and definitions in suicide research.
Media
An Australian study by Jane Pirkis and others examines the proportion of suicides reported by the media and the factors that made these newsworthy. Furthermore, their study reinforces the need for the media to be cautious in order to prevent copycat behaviour.
Crisis lines
An important series of articles examine the effectiveness of crisis phone lines as a suicide prevention strategy. The research here points to the need for improved training of counsellors and better risk assessment processes.
The April issue of Suicide and life-threatening behavior – vol. 37 no. 2 (April 2007), includes:
- Touched by suicide: bridging the perspectives of survivors and clinicans, a revised version of their presentation to the 39th Annual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology
- Evidence-Based Practices Project for Suicide Prevention (EBPP) by Philip Rodgers and others. This project was created in 2002 in the USA to promote evidence-based suicide prevention programmes
- Ethnocultural aspects of suicide in young people: a systematic literature review, parts 1 and 2, by Erminia Colucci and Graham Martin, both from the University of Queensland. This study looks at the evidence for ethnicity and culture impacting on suicide
Crisis: the journal crisis intervention and suicide prevention, in its first issue of 2007 looks at the elevated risk of suicide for those with autism and Asperger's syndrome; an Australian article looks at suicide prevention training for staff at a traumatic brain injury unit and discusses its application for other risk groups; and an Irish study reports on the lived experiences of eight adults bereaved by suicide.
ACCESS TO MEANS
Morgan, O. W., Griffiths, C., & Majeed, A. (2007). Interrupted time-series analysis of regulations to reduce paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning. PLoS Medicine, 4(4), e105.
Full article online
Raises doubt whether regulations introduced in the United Kingdom in 1998 to limit pack sizes of paracetamol contributed to the decrease in such poisoning, or was it part of a wider trend in decreasing drug-poisoning mortality?
See comment on this study by Nicholas A Buckley and David Gunnell in the same issue.
Help is at hand: a resource for people bereaved by suicide and other sudden, traumatic death, UK Dept of Health, 2006. This guide was developed by Prof Keith Hawton and Sue Simkin at the Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford and endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It looks at practical matters such as the inquest and funeral, as well as the bereavement experience, and bereaved people with special needs (parents who have lost a child, children, young people, older people, gay people, those with learning disabilities). Also how friends and colleagues can help.
Hope and healing: a practical guide for survivors of suicide, developed by the Suicide Response Initiative of the Calgary Health Region, Canada, 2007
de Groot, M., de Keijser, J., Neeleman, J., Kerkhof, A., Nolen, W., & Burger, H. (2007). Cognitive behaviour therapy to prevent complicated grief among relatives and spouses bereaved by suicide: cluster randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 334(7601), 994.
" Complicated grief" (severe long term bereavement) is common as a result of loss through suicide. This study highlights how complicated grief differs from normal grief and how primary carers can best manage these people at risk.
See also the editorial by Keith Hawton: Hawton, K. (2007). Complicated grief after bereavement. British Medical Journal, 334(7601), 962-963.
Bridge, J. A., Iyengar, S., Salary, C. B., Barbe, R. P., Birmaher, B., Pincus, H. A., et al. (2007). Clinical response and risk for reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in pediatric antidepressant treatment: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 297(15):1683-96.
" The study found the overall benefits of antidepressants in treating pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and non-OCD anxiety disorders (ANX) in children 19-years-old and younger appear to out-weigh the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts associated with these medications...although our findings regarding suicidal thoughts and attempts are in the same direction as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meta-analysis, we found a much lower overall risk..." – Columbus Children's Hospital press release - more
Friedman, R. A., & Leon, A. C. (2007). Expanding the Black Box - depression, antidepressants, and the risk of suicide. New England Journal of Medicine. 356(23):2343-6.
"On May 2, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered that all antidepressant medications carry an expanded black-box warning incorporating information about an increased risk of suicidal symptoms in young adults 18 to 24 years of age. Since October 2004, antidepressants have been required to have a black-box warning indicating that they are associated with an increased risk of suicidal thinking, feeling, and behavior in children and adolescents...
How should physicians deal with the new black-box warning? The real killer in this story is untreated depression, and the possible risk from antidepressant treatment is dwarfed by that from the disease. Still, clinicians need to tell their depressed patients that some people who take antidepressants have an increase in suicidal symptoms, especially early in treatment, and they need to follow their patients very closely during the first 4 to 6 weeks of treatment" - Full article online
Hear audio of an interview with co-author Dr Andrew Leon, and see news item in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) of 12 May, 2007 Depression is the real killer, not antidepressants, say commentators by David Spurgeon.
Korkeila, J., J. K. Salminen, et al. (2007). Use of antidepressants and suicide rate in Finland: an ecological study. Journal of clinical psychiatry, 68(4): 505-11.
" Use of antidepressants had a significant association with the decrease in the suicide rate, despite the effect of background variables, their interaction, and the course of time." - from abstract
Australian researchers' mobility portal – also of interest to New Zealand researchers, this website brings together resources for Australians wishing to embark on international careers in research; international researchers wanting to explore opportunities in Australia; and Australian researchers returning home after having spent time overseas.
Fairweather, A. K., Anstey, K. J., Rodgers, B., Jorm, A. F., & Christensen, H. (2007). Age and gender differences among Australian suicide ideators: prevalence and correlates. The journal of nervous and mental disease, 195(2), 130-136.
Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University.
"Contrary to clinical and popular views, our results highlight that proximal non-mental health variables such as employment, physical health, social factors, and personality are equally important to experiencing suicidal ideation as symptoms of psychological distress." – from abstract.
Response Ability
A project of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, Response Ability began in the late 1990s, when the strategic focus was on youth suicide. Resources were produced to support the training of high school teachers, nurses and journalists. Teachers and nurses have direct roles in working with young people, while journalism is important because media coverage of suicide can affect the risk of suicidal behaviour in the community. These resource materials were distributed to universities in 1999."
New resources have just been released designed specifically for students' use. These new resources contain tips on preparing a piece on mental illness and/or suicide, for students of journalism and related programs.
Indigenous Australians health issue, 21 May 2007 edition of the Medical Journal of Australia – full articles online
Ethnicity and suicide in the United States - in the May/June 2007 issue of Death studies, includes articles on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States
Ahmed, K., R. A. Mohan, et al. (2007). Self-harm in South Asian women: a literature review informed approach to assessment and formulation. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61(1): 71-81.
"Our interview showed that specific cultural factors, such as level of acculturation, cultural conflicts, stigma and interpersonal relationships, were important factors associated with distress and resilience" - from abstract
Action for safety on the internet – the prevention of young suicide, Papyrus, 2006 (UK)
The difficulty with silence on suicide, and the internet may be a source of support to young people at risk by Patrick McGorry, professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and director of ORYGEN Research Centre, and Jo Robinson co-ordinator for suicide prevention research at ORYGEN. Melbourne Age, April 27, 2007
Resources from The Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction (CARMHA), Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada:
- Coping with suicidal thoughts - intended for individuals who are currently experiencing suicidal ideation and/or have had a plan or made an attempt to hurt themselves.
- Working with the client who is suicidal: a tool for adult mental health and addiction services - provides an overview of recommended practices in assessing and treating suicidal behaviour in adults.
- Working with the suicidal patient: a guide for health care professionals - for assessment and management of suicidality for providers without a mental health background, including those that may be working in an acute care/emergency setting.
Latest Mindframe News (Australia) June 2007 now available. Mindframe assists those working in mental health to communicate effectively with the media about suicide, mental health and mental illness.
Cheng, A. T., Hawton, K., Chen, T. H., Yen, A. M., Chang, J. C., Chong, M. Y., et al. (2007). The influence of media reporting of a celebrity suicide on suicidal behavior in patients with a history of depressive disorder. Journal of affective disorders, Feb. 19
Concerns the suicide of a well known television actor in Taiwan in April 2005, "this study has provided more convincing evidence suggesting negative influences of media reporting of a celebrity suicide on subsequent suicidal behaviors among depressive patients" - from abstract
Fu, K. W., & Yip, P. S. (2007). Long-term impact of celebrity suicide on suicidal ideation: results from a population-based study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61(6), 540-546.
A famous Hong Kong entertainment celebrity,died from suicide on 1 April 2003, this study concludes "celebrity suicide is a risk factor for suicidal ideation over a short term as well as over a long term. Raising awareness of the possible negative effect of celebrity suicide through suicide prevention programmes in the community is needed."
Niederkrotenthaler, T., & Sonneck, G. (2007). Assessing the impact of media guidelines for reporting on suicides in Austria: interrupted time series analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(5), 419-428.
"The present results clearly support the hypothesis that the media guidelines have had an impact on the quality of reporting as well as on suicidal behaviour in Austria, and stress the importance of collaborating with nationwide, but also with regional media to achieve efficacy" - from abstract
Safe and effective messaging for suicide prevention, from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) in the United States, a 2-page document that offers evidence-based recommendations for creating safe and effective messages to raise public awareness that suicide is a serious and preventable public health problem is now available. Contains Do's and Don'ts for creating public messages for suicide prevention
O'Driscoll, C., Samuels, A., & Zacka, M. (2007). Suicide in New South Wales Prisons, 1995-2005: towards a better understanding. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(6), 519-524.
"This review highlights a number of factors, which appear to be common in many cases. Increased monitoring during the first week of incarceration may be an effective intervention. It is recommended that consideration be given to the length of time spent on remand and the value of custodial sentences of </=6 months." - from abstract
Heider, D., Bernert, S., Matschinger, H., Haro, J. M., Alonso, J., & Angermeyer, M. C. (2007). Parental bonding and suicidality in adulthood. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(1), 66-73.
"We found associations between low maternal and paternal care on the one hand and suicidality on the other. Prevention programs can help better equip parents in their child-rearing role to create a more caring parenting environment. This can be a protective factor for suicidality in adulthood. Nevertheless, more efforts are necessary to better describe the paths that lead from child-rearing behaviour to suicidality in adulthood." - from abstract
Karvonen, K., Rasanen, P., Hakko, H., Timonen, M., Meyer-Rochow, V. B., Sarkioja, T., et al. (2007). Suicide after hospitalization in the elderly: a population based study of suicides in Northern Finland between 1988-2003. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
"Suicide rates within the first 3 months following discharge from hospital in the 65-74 and the over 75 year olds were substantial and should influence post-hospitalization treatment strategies. To reduce the risk of suicides in elderly patients discharged from hospital, close post-hospitalization supervision combined with proper psychoactive medication and psychotherapy, are possible interventions" - from abstract
Makhija, N., & Sher, L. (2007). Childhood abuse, adult alcohol use disorders and suicidal behaviour. QJM, 100(5), 305-309.
"Childhood abuse is linked to a variety of maladaptive outcomes that can extend far into adulthood. Two of the most significant are alcohol use disorders and suicidal ideation/behaviour. This article explores the pathway from childhood abuse to suicidal behaviour through the development of alcohol use disorders..." - from abstract
Oquendo, M. A., Currier, D., & Mann, J. J. (2006). Prospective studies of suicidal behavior in major depressive and bipolar disorders: what is the evidence for predictive risk factors? Acta Psychiatr Scand, 114(3), 151-158.
This review article concludes that a history of previous suicide attempt, and recurrent depression along with alcohol abuse are predictive of suicidal behaviour.
Thompson, M. P., Ho, C. H., & Kingree, J. B. (2007). Prospective associations between delinquency and suicidal behaviors in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(3), 232-237.
"findings suggest that delinquent youth, particularly delinquent girls, should be targeted in interventions to reduce suicidal behaviors." - from abstract
Also see editorial in same issue: Brent, D. A., & Bridge, J. A. (2007). Delinquent accounts: does delinquency account for suicidal behavior? Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(3), 204-205.
Jackson, H., et al (2007). Mental health problems in rural contexts: What are the barriers to seeking help from professional providers? Australian Psychologist, 42(2), 147-160.
Page, A., Morrell, S., Taylor, R., Dudley, M., & Carter, G. (2007). Further increases in rural suicide in young Australian adults: secular trends, 1979-2003. Social Science & Medicine. 25 April.
Knight, B. A., Knight, C., Teghe, D. (2007). Students at risk: interagency collaboration in Queensland. Youth Studies Australia, 26(2), 50-57.
"highlights the use of community development principles, such as capacity building for individuals to address issues, and networking and building relationships that promote confidence and trust between institutional and individual actors."
Neil, A. L., & Christensen, H. (2007). Australian school-based prevention and early intervention programs for anxiety and depression: a systematic review. Medical Journal of Australia, 186(6), 305-308. Full article online
Bergen, H. and K. Hawton (2007). Variation in deliberate self-harm around Christmas and New Year. Social science & medicine, May 19
Jacobson, C. M., & Gould, M. (2007). The epidemiology and phenomenology of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescents: a critical review of the literature. Archives of Suicide Research, 11(2), 129-147.
Patton, G. C., Hemphill, S. A., Beyers, J. M., Bond, L., Toumbourou, J. W., McMorris, B. J., et al. (2007). Pubertal stage and deliberate self-harm in adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(4), 508-514.
Portzky, G. and K. van Heeringen (2007). Deliberate self-harm in adolescents. Current Opinion in Psychiatry 20(4): 337-42.
"reviews literature on young people who deliberately harmed themselves that was published between March 2005 and December 2006 in English language journals. Recent follow-up studies have confirmed that deliberate self-harm at a young age is an important indication of mental health problems in later life, including a strongly increased risk of subsequent suicidal behavior… the results regarding cognitive behavior therapy in depressed and suicidal young people are clearly positive. " - from abstract
LifeSIGNS (Self Injury Guidance & Network Support), UK have a variety of self-injury factsheets online
Jackson, B., & Lurie, S. (2006). Adolescent depression: challenges and opportunities: a review and current recommendations for clinical practice. Advances in Pediatrics, 53, 111-163.
Kloos, A. L., Collins, R., Weller, R. A., & Weller, E. B. (2007). Suicide in preadolescents: who is at risk? Current Psychiatry Reports, 9(2), 89-93.
Posner, K., Melvin, G. A., Stanley, B., Oquendo, M. A., & Gould, M. (2007). Factors in the assessment of suicidality in youth. CNS Spectrums, 12(2), 156-162.
"This paper provides the clinician with a summary of risk factors for youth suicide, as well as providing standardized terminology to enhance assessment of suicidal ideation and behavior." - from abstract
Sawyer, M. G., Carbone, J. A., Searle, A. K., & Robinson, P. (2007). The mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in home-based foster care. Medical Journal of Australia, 186(4), 181-184. Full article online
"Children in home-based foster care experience high rates of mental health problems but only a minority receive professional help for their problems." - from abstract
- Cost of suicide
An American study says the cost of self-inflicted injuries is $33 billion annually ($32 billion in productivity losses, $1 billion in medical costs), see The Cost of violence in the United States - Irish study into evidence of clusters or groups of suicides in certain locations in Ireland – University College Dublin, School of Medicine and Medical Science: Saving the young
- Male veterans (ex-servicemen) in the United States twice as likely to die of suicide compared with non-veterans, research article
- National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, annual report on progress, 2006
The suicide pact of two teenagers in Melbourne has prompted the social networking website MySpace to fast-track a new partnership with a youth mental health support service. MySpace now runs banner ads for the Inspire Foundation's ReachOut website.
10 Sept. 2007 World Suicide Prevention Day
5th Annual World Suicide Prevention Day. Theme is "Suicide Prevention across the life span", to boost suicide prevention activities around the world.- 27-30 Aug. 2008 12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour Glasgow, Scotland
|
SPINZ e-news is edited by Russell Tuffery, SPINZ Information Officer. Contact Russell to obtain or access any of the resources listed here or on the SPINZ website, phone 09 300 3075, fax 09 300 7020 or email info@spinz.org.nz
Previous issues of SPINZ e-news
