Approximately 68 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid at some point during 2010, when the program spent $406 billion on acute and long-term care services for its beneficiaries.(1) Another 16 million people are slated to gain Medicaid eligibility through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would make ...

The term acute oncology service was first introduced as a concept in the report compiled by the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group Chemotherapy services in England: Ensuring quality and safety (National Chemotherapy Advisory Group, 2009). An acute oncology service brings together the expertise of clinicians working in emergency care, acute medicine ...

This study aimed to elicit perceptions and experiences of talking therapy services for CSA survivors and professionals utilizing qualitative interviews and analyzing transcripts using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants included 13 adult survivors and 31 professionals in statutory and voluntary services in Scotland. Main themes were benefits from and challenges of ...

Kindred's deal for RehabCare would create the U.S.' largest post-acute-care provider. Officials say the deal positions Kindred to benefit from Medicare's move toward bundled payments and will help accommodate patients whose needs are growing more intense. "There is an explosion of patients, unfortunately, that need multiple sites of service because ...

ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: •  Movement between community and inpatient care can be, for some service users, much more unsettling than previously thought, largely because admissions are for custodial reasons than therapeutic ones. •  The opportunity and ability to form relationships with other service users and staff would appear to be one ...

The current recession and crisis in public finances has resulted in most health systems being starved of new investment and facing significant cutbacks in many areas. Ireland's case provides a typical example following the collapse of the 'Celtic Tiger'. In this climate, a strong case exists for reallocating some of ...

Communication of acute or critical results between the radiology department and referring clinicians has been a deficiency of many radiology departments. The failure to perform or document these communications can lead to poor patient care, patient safety issues, medical-legal issues, and complaints from referring clinicians. To mitigate these factors, a ...

Contact between elderly patients and healthcare professionals may be crucial for suicide prevention if suicidal tendencies are revealed and help is to be provided. The objective of the study was to investigate how elderly suicide cases had perceived the health service and what characterised their contact with it. This is ...

To ensure that community health services are as good as they can be, professional leaders in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, decided to engage staff using a method attributed to the World Café movement. The adopted model gives staff an opportunity to influence the development of services, and focuses on six areas: end ...

The aims of this study were to: (1) examine the role of psychosocial factors, physical and mental health in suicide; (2) to examine gender differences on those variables; and (3) determine whether there was a group who died by suicide who did not have a history of mental illness. Data ...

Over the past ten years, the National Health Service in England has introduced home treatment teams throughout the country. Despite this, and the fact that England now has the fourth lowest number of beds per capita in Europe, no mental health service has been able to dispense with acute admission ...

Suicide is a global health priority. It is important to analyse the effects of investment in mental health services on suicide rates. This paper presents and discusses recent changes in suicide rates and diagnostic mix among clients of the mental health service in Auckland during a time of service growth. ...

As suicide rates in the military rise, increased attention has been placed on the effective management of high-risk service members. Military mental health professionals deployed to combat zones face a number of challenges and barriers for effective risk management that are unique to the deployed setting. To date, there exists ...

Polydrug use potentially increases the likelihood of harm. As little is known about polydrug use patterns in the general population, it is difficult to determine patterns associated with highest likelihood. Latent class analysis was performed on nine illicit substance groups indicating past year use of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD, ...

Using a nationally representative sample from the 2008 Paraguayan National Survey of Demography and Sexual and Reproductive Health, we examine the association between emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health among women aged 15-44 years who have ever been married or in a consensual union. The ...

A now robust series of prospective studies have found body mass index to be inversely associated with risk of completed suicide, dating back approximately 4 decades. In the progression from disturbed mental health to suicidal ideation to attempted suicide and completed suicide, augmented by impulsivity and access to highly lethal ...

To examine the recency and quality of the last Veterans Health Administration (VHA) visit for patients with depression who died by suicide. We obtained services and pharmacy data for all 1,843 VHA patients with diagnosed depressive disorders (DSM-IV criteria) who died by suicide from April 1999 through September 2004. We ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate suicides with a history of problem gambling (PG) and others with no such history (NPG) and to compare the two on mental health problems and service utilization. Data on a sample of 49 PG suicides and 73 NPG suicides were obtained from ...

Perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB) are important indicators of suicide risk; however, limited research has investigated applicability to military populations, and no efforts have been initiated to translate these constructs into easily implemented clinical tools. The current study examined the structure and validity of a brief self-report survey ...

Rural versus urban rates of suicide in current patients of a large area mental health service in Australia were compared. Suicide deaths were identified from compulsory root cause analyses of deaths, 2003-2007. Age-standardized rates of suicide were calculated for rural versus urban mental health service and compared using variance of ...

Objectives To describe attendance at emergency departments (EDs) in the year prior to suicide for a sample of mental health patients. To examine the characteristics of those who attended (particularly those who attended frequently) prior to suicide. Design Case review of ED records for 286 individuals who died within 12 months ...

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this retrospective study of death records was to determine whether there were significant differences in years of potential life lost (YPLL) between decedents with serious and persistent mental illness at a community mental health center (N=647) and decedents in the general population (N=15,517) after the ...

to assess the prevalence of suicide ideation among community-dwelling older adults and the relationship between suicide ideation, major psychiatric disorder, and mental health service use. we use data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2: Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2). We estimate the prevalence of suicide ideation and the ...

Studies of clinical cohorts and retrospective reports have identified psychiatric disorders as paramount risk factors for suicide. Much less is known about how self-reported mental health is related to completed suicide. To study the relation between self-reported mental health and risk of completed suicide, the authors prospectively followed a population-based ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of a range of temporally prior physical conditions with the subsequent first onset of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts in large, general population, cross-national sample. The associations between physical conditions and suicidal behavior remain unclear due to sparse data and varied methodology. METHODS: Predictive associations ...

The proportion of UK veterinary surgeons who die by suicide as opposed to other causes is approximately four times that of the general population, and around twice that of other healthcare professionals. Recent research suggests that veterinary surgeons report high levels of psychological distress. This paper proposes a portfolio of ...

The authors examined the prevalence and distribution of mental disorders in rural Chinese 15-34 years of age who committed suicide. They hypothesized that mental illness is a risk factor for suicide in this population and that the prevalence of mental illness is lower in females than in males. In this ...

OBJECTIVE: Chronic conditions may be associated with suicide risk. This study aimed to specify the extent to which youth chronic conditions are at risk for suicidality and self-harm. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to estimate odds of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in 10- to 19-year-olds with and without ...

OBJECTIVE: Suicidal youths are rarely identified in primary care settings. We describe here a care process that includes a computerized screen, colocated social workers, and a coordinated suicide-prevention team at a specialty mental health unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were 1547 youths aged 11 to 20 years seen in an ...

International studies report increased rates of mental health problems and subsequent suicidality among homosexual populations. While international health-care policy is concerned with reducing suicide among young people, important research findings relating to gay people and suicidality remain unacknowledged in the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. This qualitative study, utilizing single ...

To examine the associations of suicide in the second half of life with medical and psychiatric illness, functional limitations, and reported use of inpatient, ambulatory, and home health care services. A retrospective case-control design was used to compare 86 people over age 50 years who died by suicide with a ...

BACKGROUND: Approximately 1,500 suicides take place in inpatient hospital units in the United States each year. This study, the first of its kind, examines the implementation and effectiveness of using a standardized checklist for mental health units to improve patient safety in a large health care system. METHODS: In 2006 ...

BACKGROUND: Rates of suicidal ideation and behaviours as well as associated risk factors are examined among youth recruited from five public sectors of care (i.e. child welfare, juvenile justice, special education services, alcohol and drug services, and county mental health). METHOD: 1057 youth (ages 11-18) completed a diagnostic interview and ...

Comparisons of psychiatric patients who die by suicide using different methods are scarce. We aimed to establish the methods of suicide used by those who are currently or have recently been in contact with mental health services in England and Wales (N = 6,203), and describe the social and clinical ...

A diagnosis of schizophrenia is often taken to denote a state of global irrationality within the psychiatric paradigm, wherein psychotic phenomena are seen to equate with a lack of mental capacity. However, the little research that has been undertaken on mental capacity in psychiatric patients shows that people with schizophrenia ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between soft drink consumption and mental health problems, including self-reported doctor-diagnosed anxiety, stress-related problem and depression, suicidal ideation and psychological distress, among adults in South Australia. DESIGN: Data were collected using a risk factor surveillance system. Each month a representative random sample of South Australians ...

We looked to evaluate the reporting pathways and statistics between relevant stakeholders for reporting suicides and undetermined deaths in Cornwall. We checked on the correlation of the numbers provided for suicides and open verdicts given by different national and regional agencies including the local Coroner's office, Office of National Statistics ...

Mental health and social professionals are at high risk of experiencing at least one patient suicide during their career. This paper investigates the impact of patient suicide on the reactions and working practices of mental health and social professionals. It also examines how such an impact may vary depending on ...

Individuals with schizophrenia have higher mortality rates compared to the general community. Apart from an increased risk of suicide, people with schizophrenia have an increased risk of death related to a wide range of comorbid physical conditions. There is evidence to suggest that much of this mortality is avoidable. The ...

Suicide continues to be one of the biggest killers in the world, with suicide rates varying between 8.1 and 58.3/100,000 population for different parts of India. Andhra Pradesh, the fourth largest state in India, is responsible for more than 11% of these. Unfortunately, most suicides are under-reported and there is ...

The importance of clarifying the features characteristic of older homicide offenders is highlighted by recent research that indicates an increase in rates of homicides followed by suicides of older perpetrators. In a retrospective study of data from coroners' files on domestic homicides involving individuals killed by an older spouse or ...

Given the uncontested role of psychiatric illnesses in both fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviours, efforts are continuously made in improving mental health care provision. In cases of severe mental disorder, when intensified treatment protocols and continuous supervision are required due to individual's impaired emotional, cognitive and social functioning (including danger ...

A 3-day Nobel Conference entitled 'The role of genetics in promoting suicide prevention and the mental health of the population' was held at the Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institute (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden, during 8-10 June 2009. The conference was sponsored by the Nobel Assembly for Physiology or Medicine and organized ...

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed patterns of mental health service use among adolescents who had attempted suicide and examined factors associated with their service use at individual, family, and community levels. METHODS: Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted with data from 877 adolescents aged 12-17 who had attempted suicide ...

BACKGROUND: This study determines the trend in mental health-related mortality (defined here as the aggregation of suicide and deaths coded as "mental/behavioural disorders"), and its relative numerical importance, and to argue that this has importance to policy-makers. Its results will have policy relevance because policy-makers have been predominantly concerned with ...

OBJECTIVES: The study aims to determine the incidence of suicide attempt, describe the methods used, and assess use of health care services including mental health care after suicide attempt in a rural area of Vietnam. METHODS: All suicide attempters (104) during 2003-2007 were listed, diagnosed and re-evaluated by trained physicians ...

Considerable attention has been focused on the study of suicides among those who have received help from healthcare providers. However, little is known about the profiles of suicide deceased who had psychiatric illnesses but made no contact with psychiatric services prior to their death. Behavioural model of health service use ...

We report the lifetime and 12-month prevalence and associations of mental health treatment among Mexican adolescents with suicide-related outcomes (SROs; including ideation, plans, gestures and attempts). A representative multistage probability household survey of 3005 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years residing in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area was carried out ...

Primary care may be a key setting for suicide prevention. However, comparatively little is known about the services available in primary care for suicide prevention. The aims of the current study were to describe services available in general practices for the management of suicidal patients and to examine GPs views ...

OBJECTIVES: Many suicidal patients treated and released from emergency departments (ED) fail to follow through with subsequent outpatient psychiatric appointments, often presenting back for repeat ED services. Thus, the authors sought to determine whether a mobile crisis team (MCT) intervention would be more effective than standard referral to a hospital-based ...