Psychiatric News (11/18) reports, “Certain symptoms of borderline personality disorder – especially chronic feelings of emptiness, fear of abandonment, and disturbances in one’s sense of identity – appear to be significantly associated with suicide attempts,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the Collaborative Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders, a multisite, prospective study of adults with at least one of four personality disorders (schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive compulsive) and a comparison group of adults with major depressive disorder.” Investigators focused on “the occurrence of suicide attempts in both groups over a 10-year period and examined the associations between specific symptoms and suicide attempts.” The findings of the 701-participant study were published online Nov. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Specific Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder Linked to Suicide Risk, Psychiatric News, November 18, 2020

MedPage Today (11/18, Hlavinka) reports research indicates that “the prevalence of suicidal ideation among commercially insured women in the year before or after giving birth increased from 0.1% to 0.5%  from 2006 to 2017.” The study also revealed that “rates of self-harm…doubled during this time period, from 0.1% to 0.2%.” What’s more, “overall suicidality increased from 0.2% to 0.6%, adding up to about 24,000 suicidal women when extrapolated to the four million who give birth each year.” The findings were published online Nov. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (11/17, Gramigna) reports, “Job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant mental health burden among young adults,” researchers concluded in a study that analyzed “data from June 15 to June 30 of 4,852 young adults in this age range who were included in the weekly, cross-sectional Household Pulse Survey.” Next, the investigators “analyzed two job insecurity measures and four anxiety and depression measures using multivariable Poisson regression models, which they adjusted for race/ethnicity, age, sex, marital status and education.” The findings were published online Nov. 9 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Related Links:

— “COVID-19-related job insecurity linked to young adult mental health burden “Joe Gramigna, MA, Healio, November 17, 2020

The New York Times (11/17, Rabin) reports, “Gun violence kills about 40,000 Americans” annually, with the “majority” of those deaths suicides. In fact, “just over half of suicides involve guns.” Now, a growing worry “about suicides has led to an unusual alliance between suicide-prevention advocates and gun-rights proponents; together they are devising new strategies to prevent suicide in a population committed to the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.” The article details a number of ongoing initiatives and efforts to stem the tide of gun-related suicides, particularly now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People Who Buy Guns During Pandemic More Likely To Be Suicidal Than Those Who Already Own Firearms, Researchers Say. HealthDay (11/17) reports, “Those who buy guns as the pandemic rages are more likely to be suicidal than those who already own firearms,” researchers concluded after surveying some “3,500 Americans,” a third of whom owned guns. The study revealed that “among people who bought guns during the pandemic, about 70% reported having suicidal thoughts, while just 37% of other gun owners had such thoughts.” The findings were published online Nov. 17 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.’

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— “Buying Gun During Pandemic Might Raise Suicide Risk ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, November 17, 2020

Healio (11/17, Gramigna) reports, “Prevention and intervention targets for prescription stimulant misuse vary by age and education level,” investigators concluded in a study that “used data from the 2015 to 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to examine numerous prescription stimulant misuse among 86,918 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 25 years.” The researchers “examined individual prescription stimulant misuse motives, such as study aid, and motive categories, such as cognitive enhancement only, recreational only, weight loss only and combined motives, by age,” then “used logistic regression models to evaluate associations between individual motives or motive categories and educational status, substance use, DSM-4 substance use disorder and mental health correlates.” The findings were published online Nov. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Motivating factors for prescription stimulant misuse vary by age, education level “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 17, 2020