safeTALK for youth suicide prevention: new review finds no evidence of safety or efficacy

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Olivia Kirtley and Alys Cole-King appraise a new systematic review of the safeTALK school and community based youth suicide prevention intervention, which finds no evidence of safety or efficacy for this well established programme.

The blog also features a podcast featuring Olivia and Alys, along with Professor Stanley Kutcher, the lead author of this new review.

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Self-harm in primary care: more prescribing than referrals

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Olivia Kirtley and Alys Cole-King present a major new cohort study, which includes worrying evidence about the clinical management of patients in primary care following self-harm.

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Mondays and New Year’s Day associated with peaks in suicide incidence

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Emily Stapley reports on a recent study of the timing of general population and patient suicide in England. She discovers that Springtime, Mondays and New Year’s Day are all associated with peaks in suicide incidence.

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What happens to people after discharge from secure psychiatric hospital?

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Laura Hemming considers a recent systematic review of patient outcomes following discharge from secure psychiatric hospitals. The review finds that patients from secure units have a higher chance of mortality and suicide following discharge, than people from other settings.

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Suicide during the perinatal period

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Katrina Witt reviews a new UK study, which finds that women who ended their own lives during the perinatal period were significantly more likely to have a recent onset of depression, and were less likely to be receiving active treatment, and particularly medication, at their time of their death.

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Eating disorders and suicide

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David Steele considers the implications of a Swedish population registry study, which finds that people with eating disorders and their close relations are at increased risk for attempting and/or completing suicide.

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Antidepressants: benefits and harms in children and adults

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Samei Huda discusses the findings of a recent review into suicidality and aggression during antidepressant treatment. The systematic review and meta-analyses were based on clinical study reports and included some important adverse effects of antidepressants in children and young people.

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Psychotic-like experiences associated with self-harm, according to new systematic review, but further research is needed

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Katrina Witt critiques a recent systematic review of psychotic-like experiences and the risk of self-harm and suicide in the general population.

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Psychosocial suicide prevention in youth: is the evidence strong enough?

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Rachel Upthegrove appraises a recent systematic review of psychosocial suicide prevention for youth, which leaves her calling for better evidence to support investment in universal school-based interventions.

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Can social networking alleviate loneliness in later life?

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Farhana Mann appraises a cross-sectional survey of social networking site usage, loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling older adults.

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