Objective:To identify the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in Europe.Design:Proportions of seven predominant suicide methods utilised in 16 countries participating in the European ...Alliance Against Depression (EAAD) were reported in total and cross-nationally. Relative risk (RR) relating to suicide methods and gender was calculated. To group countries by pattern of suicide methods, hierarchical clustering was applied.Setting and participants:Data on suicide methods for 119 122 male and 41 338 female cases in 2000–4/5 from 16 EAAD countries, covering 52% of European population were obtained.Results:Hanging was the most prevalent suicide method among both males (54.3%) and females (35.6%). For males, hanging was followed by firearms (9.7%) and poisoning by drugs (8.6%); for females, by poisoning by drugs (24.7%) and jumping from a high place (14.5%). Only in Switzerland did hanging rank as second for males after firearms. Hanging ranked first among females in eight countries, poisoning by drugs in five and jumping from a high place in three. In all countries, males had a higher risk than females of using firearms and hanging and a lower risk of poisoning by drugs, drowning and jumping. Grouping showed that countries might be divided into five main groups among males; for females, grouping did not yield clear results.Conclusions:Research on suicide methods could lead to the development of gender-specific intervention strategies. Nevertheless, other approaches, such as better identification and treatment of mental disorders and the improvement of toxicological aid should be put in place.
Non-consensual sex poses a threat not only to sexual health but also to mental and physical health in general. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users might be particularly vulnerable to ...non-consensual sex because of interplaying factors such as mental health disorders, a high number of sex partners, engagement in chemsex, and the widespread use of dating apps. The objectives of this study were to assess the occurrence of non-consensual sex, its associated factors, and related help-seeking behavior among PrEP users. We analyzed data from an online survey among PrEP users in Belgium (09/2020-02/2022). Almost one in five participants (34/187, 18.2%) reported having ever experienced non-consensual sex. The most reported form was having sex against one's will, followed by having been given drugs against one's will, and having had sex without a condom against one's will. The vast majority of those who had experienced non-consensual sex (29/34, 85.3%) did not seek help afterward, mostly due to a lack of perceived need (21/29, 72.4%). Reported barriers to seeking help were shame (6/29, 20.7%) and lack of awareness of help services (3/29, 10.3%). Having experienced non-consensual sex in the past five years was associated with younger age and suicidal ideation in a multivariable logistic regression model. We conclude that addressing barriers to non-consensual sex help services is crucial to maximize their use and minimize the consequences of non-consensual sex experiences. PrEP consultations also represent an opportunity to offer such help given PrEP users are already familiar with these PrEP services and engaged in care.
This study examines the inclusion of preventive factors and new media developments in media recommendations on suicide reporting. Of the 193 member states of the United Nations screened for media ...recommendations, information was available for 74 countries. Similarities and differences in their contents were analyzed by cluster analysis. Results indicate that of these 74 countries, 38% have national suicide prevention programs, 38% have media recommendations, and 25% have press codes including suicide reporting. Less than 25% of the media recommendations advise against mentioning online forums, suicide notes, pacts, clusters, hotspots, details of the person, and positive consequences. No more than 15% refer to self-help groups, fictional and online reporting. We conclude that media recommendations need to be revised by adding these preventive factors and by including sections on new media reporting.
Background:
Evidence-based best practices for incorporation into an optimal multilevel intervention for suicide prevention should be identifiable in the literature.
Aims:
To identify effective ...interventions for the prevention of suicidal behavior.
Methods:
Review of systematic reviews found in the Pubmed, Cochrane, and DARE databases. Steps include risk-of-bias assessment, data extraction, summarization of best practices, and identification of synergistic potentials of such practices in multilevel approaches.
Results:
Six relevant systematic reviews were found. Best practices identified as effective were as follows: training general practitioners (GPs) to recognize and treat depression and suicidality, improving accessibility of care for at-risk people, and restricting access to means of suicide. Although no outcomes were reported for multilevel interventions or for synergistic effects of multiple interventions applied together, indirect support was found for possible synergies in particular combinations of interventions within multilevel strategies.
Conclusions:
A number of evidence-based best practices for the prevention of suicide and suicide attempts were identified. Research is needed on the nature and extent of potential synergistic effects of various preventive activities within multilevel interventions.
Stigma associated with depression is a major public health issue in the EU, with over 20 million people experiencing depression and its associated personal distress each year. While most programmes ...against stigma related to mental health problems are of a general nature, the knowledge about programmes tackling stigma against people with depression is limited. This study therefore aims to assess the nature and impact of depression-specific programmes in EU countries. Using a web-based tool, 26 programmes were identified across the 18 EU countries taking part in the study. Most were universal and targeted the whole population, while many also targeted specific population groups or settings, such as young people or health professionals. The most common programme aim was improving literacy, although reducing stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviour and promoting help-seeking were also common. Most programmes originated from professional bodies, or as grassroots initiatives from service user groups/NGOs, rather than as part of national and local policy. The approaches used were primarily different forms of education/information, with some, but very limited, use of positive personal contact. Overall, the quality and extent of impact of the programmes was limited, with few leading to peer-reviewed publications. Specific programmes were identified with evidence of positive impact, and we drew on these examples to develop a framework to be used for future programmes against stigma and discrimination associated with depression. These findings are provided in full in the AntiStigma Partnership European Network Toolkit available at www.antistigma.eu.
Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a common lipid disorder that predisposes for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). We set up a screening programme in the Netherlands in 1994 to: establish the ...feasibility of active family screening supported by DNA diagnostics; assess whether or not active identification of these patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia would lead to more cholesterol-lowering treatment; and compare diagnosis by DNA analysis with that by cholesterol measurement.
Both DNA analysis and measurement of cholesterol concentrations were used to screen families in which a functional mutation in the LDL-receptor gene had been detected.
In the first 5 years, 5442 relatives of 237 people with familial hypercholesterolaemia were screened; 2039 individuals were identified as heterozygous by LDL-receptor gene mutation analysis. At the time of examination, 667 of these adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia (39%) received some form of lipid-lowering treatment; 1 year later, this percentage had increased to 93%. In addition, laboratory analysis showed that for carriers as well as noncarriers 18% would have been misdiagnosed by cholesterol measurement alone, with sex-specific and age-specific 90th percentiles of the general Dutch population as diagnostic criteria.
Targeted family screening with DNA analysis proved to be highly effective in identifying patients with hypercholesterolaemia. Most of the identified patients sought treatment and were successfully started on cholesterol-lowering treatment to lower the risk of premature CVD. Our findings could have wider relevance for the screening of other prevalent genetic disorders in the population at large.
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