HealthDay (2/6, Preidt) reports, “Nurses are at elevated risk for suicide, but the issue gets little attention, researchers report,” as “their study of 2005-2016 U.S. government data found the suicide rate among female nurses was significantly higher (10 per 100,000) than that of the general female population (7 per 100,000). The rate among male nurses (33 per 100,000) was also higher than in the general male population (27 per 100,000).” The study was published online February 3 in the journal WORLDviews on Evidence Based-Nursing.

Related Links:

— “Nurses May Need Suicide-Prevention Screening, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 6, 2020

A Cleveland Clinic physician writes in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal (2/6, Subscription Publication), that 90-day prescriptions are creating an unnecessary risk for suicidal patients, however, Barnett notes that the American Psychiatric Association has asked insurers to give physicians flexibility.

Related Links:

— “The 90-Day Prescription Isn’t for Everyone, “Brian Barnett, The Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2020

Psychiatry Advisor (2/5) reports “patients with bipolar disorder have a significantly elevated risk for suicidal ideation when they experience comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to study results published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.” In particular, “the study’s sample of 58 patients with co-occurring bipolar disorder and PTSD unanimously reported current suicidal thoughts.” Psychiatry Advisory says “investigators at the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data from the Bipolar CHOICE randomized clinical trial, which sought to compare the efficacy of lithium with quetiapine for bipolar disorder.” They found “all patients with comorbid PTSD indicated that they had current suicidal ideation compared with 86.3% of patients without comorbid PTSD.” Meanwhile, “bipolar patients with comorbid PTSD had higher CHRT total and propensity scores compared with patients without PTSD.”

Related Links:

— “Comorbid PTSD Raises Risk for Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Bipolar Disorder, “Emily Pond, Psychiatry Advisor, February 5, 2020

MD Magazine reports research indicates that “general anesthesia as a major cause of increased odds of mothers developing postpartum depression (PPD) following a cesarean delivery.” For the “retrospective cohort study, the investigators examined cesarean delivery cases performed in New York State hospitals between January 2006 and December 2013.” After examining “data from 428,204 cesarean delivery cases, including 34,356 cases involving general anesthesia,” researchers found that “relative to neuraxial anesthesia, general anesthesia in cesarean delivery was linked to a 54% increased odds of postpartum depression…as well as a 91% increased odds of suicidal ideation or self-inflicted injury.” The findings were published online Jan. 29 in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Related Links:

— “General Anesthesia Increases Postpartum Depression Odds After Cesarean Deliveries, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, February 4, 2020

Psychiatric News (2/4) reports, “Many U.S. adults 65 and older who died of suicide between 2003 and 2016 did not have a known mental illness,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the National Violent Death Reporting System.” The study revealed that “of the 26,884 suicide deaths recorded during the study period,” the majority of “older men (69.1%) and women (50.2%) who died of suicide did not have a known mental illness.” The findings were published online Jan. 28 in a research brief in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Many Older U.S. Adults Who Died By Suicide Did Not Have Known Mental Illness, Study Suggests, Psychiatric News , February 4, 2020