scholarly journals Abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Iob ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Daisy Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Social Study ◽  
Common Type ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Patterns Of Abuse ◽  
Minority Ethnic

SummaryThis study explored patterns of abuse, self-harm and thoughts of suicide/self-harm in the UK during the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic using data from the COVID-19 Social Study (n=44 775), a non-probability sample weighted to population proportions. The reported frequency of abuse, self-harm and thoughts of suicide/self-harm was higher among women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, unemployment, disability, chronic physical illnesses, mental disorders and COVID-19 diagnosis. Psychiatric medications were the most common type of support being used, but fewer than half of those affected were accessing formal or informal support.

Ethnic Differences in Self-Poisoning Across South London

Crisis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-272
Author(s):  
Sean Cross ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra ◽  
Paul I. Dargan ◽  
David M. Wood ◽  
Shaun L. Greene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
White Women ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Incident Cases ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Background: Self-poisoning (overdose) is the commonest form of self-harm cases presenting to acute secondary care services in the UK, where there has been limited investigation of self-harm in black and minority ethnic communities. London has the UK’s most ethnically diverse areas but presents challenges in resident-based data collection due to the large number of hospitals. Aims: To investigate the rates and characteristics of self-poisoning presentations in two central London boroughs. Method: All incident cases of self-poisoning presentations of residents of Lambeth and Southwark were identified over a 12-month period through comprehensive acute and mental health trust data collection systems at multiple hospitals. Analysis was done using STATA 12.1. Results: A rate of 121.4/100,000 was recorded across a population of more than half a million residents. Women exceeded men in all measured ethnic groups. Black women presented 1.5 times more than white women. Gender ratios within ethnicities were marked. Among those aged younger than 24 years, black women were almost 7 times more likely to present than black men were. Conclusion: Self-poisoning is the commonest form of self-harm presentation to UK hospitals but population-based rates are rare. These results have implications for formulating and managing risk in clinical services for both minority ethnic women and men.

scholarly journals The prevalence of common mental disorders and PTSD in the UK military: using data from a clinical interview-based study

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy C Iversen ◽  
Lauren van Staden ◽  
Jamie Hacker Hughes ◽  
Tess Browne ◽  
Lisa Hull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Clinical Interview ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Estimating income-related and area-based inequalities in mental health among nationally representative adolescents in Australia: The concentration index approach

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257573
Author(s):  
Md Irteja Islam ◽  
Gail M. Ormsby ◽  
Enamul Kabir ◽  
Rasheda Khanam
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Concentration Index ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Self Harm

Despite the awareness of the importance of mental health problems among adolescents in developed countries like Australia, inequality has not been widely researched. This study, is therefore, aimed to measure and compare household income-related and area-based socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems (bullying victimization, mental disorders–single and multiple, self-harm and suicidality–ideation, plan and attempt) among Australian adolescents aged 12–17 years. Young Minds Matter (YMM)—the 2nd national cross-sectional mental health and well-being survey involving Australian children and adolescents conducted in 2013–14, was used in this study to select data for adolescents aged 12–17 years (n = 2521). Outcome variables included: bullying, mental disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, plan and attempt. The Erreygers’s corrected concentration index (CI) approach was used to measure the socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems using two separate rank variables–equivalised household income quintiles and area-based Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) quintiles. The prevalence of mental health problems in the previous 12-months among these study participants were: bullying victimization (31.1%, 95% CI: 29%-33%), mental disorder (22.9%, 95% CI: 21%-24%), self-harm (9.1%, 95% CI: 8%-10%), suicidal ideation (8.5%, 95% CI: 7%-10%), suicidal plan (5.9%, 95% CI: 5%-7%) and suicidal attempt (2.8%, 95% CI: 2%-3%). The concentration indices (CIs) were statistically significant for bullying victimization (CI = -0.049, p = 0.020), multiple mental disorders (CI = -0.088, p = <0.001), suicidal ideation (CI = -0.023, p = 0.047) and suicidal attempt (CI = -0.021, p = 0.002), implying pro-poor socioeconomic inequalities based on equivalized household income quintiles. Similar findings revealed when adolescents mental health inequalities calculated on the basis of area based IRSAD (Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage) quintiles. Overall, adolescents from economically worse-off families experienced more mental health-related problems compared to those from economically better-off families. This has implications for prevention strategies and government policy in order to promote mental health and provide equitable healthcare facility.

scholarly journals Is Google Trends a useful tool for tracking mental and social distress during a public health emergency? A time-series analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duleeka Knipe ◽  
David Gunnell ◽  
Hannah Evans ◽  
Ann John ◽  
Daisy Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Population Mental Health ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackgroundGoogle Trends data are increasingly used by researchers as an indicator of population mental health, but few studies have investigated the validity of this approach.MethodsRelative search volumes (RSV) for the topics depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicide, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and abuse were obtained from Google Trends. We used graphical and time-series approaches to compare daily trends in searches for these topics against population measures of these outcomes recorded using validated scales (PHQ-9; GAD-7; UCLA-3) in a weekly survey (n=∼70,000) of the impact COVID-19 on psychological and social experiences in the UK population (12/03/2020 to 21/08/ 2020).ResultsSelf-reported levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm, loneliness and abuse decreased during the period studied. There was no evidence of an association between self-reported anxiety, self-harm, abuse and RSV on Google Trends. Trends in reported depression symptoms and suicidal ideation declined over the study period, whereas Google topic RSV increased (p=0.03 and p=0.04 respectively). There was some evidence that suicidal ideation searches preceded reported self-harm (p=0.05), but graphical evidence suggested this was an inverse association. However, there was statistical and graphical evidence that self-report and Google searches for loneliness (p<0.001) tracked one another.LimitationsNo age/sex breakdown of Google Trends data are available. Survey respondents were not representative of the UK population and no pre-pandemic data were available.ConclusionGoogle Trends data do not appear to be a useful indicator of changing levels of population mental health during a public health emergency, but may have some value as an indicator of loneliness.

scholarly journals Trajectories of compliance with COVID-19 related guidelines: longitudinal analyses of 50,000 UK adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Wright ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Daisy Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Social Study ◽  
Growth Curve Analysis ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Psychological Traits ◽  
High Compliance ◽  
Latent Growth Curve Analysis ◽  
Multiple Characteristics ◽  
Lower Transmission ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackgroundGovernments have implemented a range of measure to tackle COVID-19, primarily focusing on changing citizens’ behaviours in order to lower transmission of the virus. Some policymakers have expressed concern that citizens would not maintain high levels of compliance with these behaviours over the pandemic and would instead exhibit so-called “behavioural fatigue”. While the concept has been criticized, there have been few tests of behavioural fatigue using data from the COVID-19 pandemic, and none that have tracked individuals’ compliance trajectoriesMethodsWe used longitudinal data on self-reported compliance from 50,851 adults in the COVID-19 Social Study collected across two waves of the pandemic in the UK (01 April 2020 – 22 February 2021). We modelled typical compliance trajectories using latent growth curve analysis (LGCA) and tested for behavioural fatigue by attempting to identify a set of participants whose compliance decreased substantially over the study period.ResultsWe selected a four-class LGCA solution. Most individuals maintained high levels of compliance over the pandemic and reported similar levels of compliance across the first and second waves. Approximately one in seven participants had decreasing levels of compliance across the pandemic, reporting noticeably lower levels of compliance in the second wave, a pattern compatible with behavioural fatigue. Individuals with declining compliance levels differed from those with consistently high compliance on multiple characteristics, including (young) age, better physical health, lower empathy and conscientiousness and greater general willingness to take risks.ConclusionWhile a minority, not all individuals have maintained high compliance across the pandemic. Decreasing compliance is related to several psychological traits. The results suggest that targeting of behaviour change messages later in the pandemic may be needed to increase compliance.

Associations of sleep phenotypes with severe intentional self-harm: a prospective analysis of the UK Biobank cohort

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binbin Lei ◽  
Jihui Zhang ◽  
Sijing Chen ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Lulu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Long Sleep ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Future Risk ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Study objectives We aimed to investigate the prospective associations of sleep phenotypes with severe intentional self-harm (ISH) in middle-aged and older adults. Methods A total of 499,159 participants (mean age: 56.55 ± 8.09 years; female: 54.4%) were recruited from the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010 with follow-up until February 2016 in this population-based prospective study. Severe ISH was based on hospital inpatient records or a death cause of ICD-10 codes X60-X84. Patients with hospitalized diagnosis of severe ISH before the initial assessment were excluded. Sleep phenotypes, including sleep duration, chronotype, insomnia, sleepiness, and napping, were assessed at the initial assessments. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate temporal associations between sleep phenotypes and future risk of severe ISH. Results During a follow-up period of 7.04 years (SD: 0.88), 1,219 participants experienced the first hospitalization or death related to severe ISH. After adjusting for demographics, substance use, medical diseases, mental disorders, and other sleep phenotypes, short sleep duration (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.23-1.83, P &lt; .001), long sleep duration (HR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.15-2.12, P = .004), and insomnia (usually: HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.31-1.89, P &lt; .001) were significantly associated with severe ISH. Sensitivity analyses excluding participants with mental disorders preceding severe ISH yielded similar results. Conclusion The current study provides the empirical evidence of the independent prediction of sleep phenotypes, mainly insomnia, short and long sleep duration, for the future risk of severe ISH among middle-aged and older adults.

scholarly journals Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Attempts, and Self‐Harm in the UK Armed Forces

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1762-1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Jones ◽  
Marie‐Louise Sharp ◽  
Ava Phillips ◽  
Sharon A. M. Stevelink
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Suicidal Attempts ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Do Junior Entrants to the UK Armed Forces have worse outcomes than Standard Entrants?

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2021-001787
Author(s):  
Margaret Jones ◽  
N Jones ◽  
H Burdett ◽  
B P Bergman ◽  
N T Fear ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Adult Service ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionThe UK is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that has a policy of recruiting 16 and 17 year old individuals into its regular Armed Forces. Little is known about the consequences of enlisting as a Junior Entrant (JE), although concerns have been expressed. We compare the mental health, deployment history, and pre-enlistment and post-enlistment experiences of personnel who had enlisted as JEs with personnel who joined as Standard Entrants (SEs).MethodParticipants from a large UK military cohort study completed a self-report questionnaire between 2014 and 2016 that included symptoms of probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), common mental disorders, alcohol consumption, physical symptoms and lifetime self-harm. Data from regular non-officer participants (n=4447) from all service branches were used in the analysis. JEs were defined as having enlisted before the age of 17.5 years. A subgroup analysis of participants who had joined or commenced adult service after April 2003 was carried out.ResultsJEs were not more likely to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan but were more likely to hold a combat role when they did (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.56). There was no evidence of an increase in symptoms of common mental disorders, PTSD, multiple somatic symptoms (MSS), alcohol misuse or self-harm in JEs in the full sample, but there was an increase in alcohol misuse (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.87), MSS (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.20) and self-harm (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.95) in JEs who had commenced adult service after April 2003. JEs remain in adult service for longer and do not have more difficulties when they leave service.ConclusionsJEs do not have worse mental health than SEs, but there is uncertainty in relation to alcohol misuse, MSS and self-harm in more recent joiners. Monitoring these concerns is advisable.

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