Suicidal behavior is a leading cause of injury and death worldwide. Information about the epidemiology of such behavior is important for policy-making and prevention. The authors reviewed government data on suicide and suicidal behavior and conducted a systematic review of studies on the epidemiology of suicide published from 1997 to 2007. The authors' aims were to examine the prevalence of, trends in, and risk and protective factors for suicidal behavior in the United States and cross-nationally. The data revealed significant cross-national variability in the prevalence of suicidal behavior but consistency in age of onset, transition probabilities, and key risk factors. Suicide is more prevalent among men, whereas nonfatal suicidal behaviors are more prevalent among women and persons who are young, are unmarried, or have a psychiatric disorder. Despite an increase in the treatment of suicidal persons over the past decade, incidence rates of suicidal behavior have remained largely unchanged. Most epidemiologic research on suicidal behavior has focused on patterns and correlates of prevalence. The next generation of studies must examine synergistic effects among modifiable risk and protective factors. New studies must incorporate recent advances in survey methods and clinical assessment. Results should be used in ongoing efforts to decrease the significant loss of life caused by suicidal behavior.

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Suicide and Suicidal Behavior

Our comprehensive meta-analysis combined prevalence figures of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) reported in 217 publications published between 1980 and 2008, including 331 independent samples with a total of 9,911,748 participants. The overall estimated CSA prevalence was 127/1000 in self-report studies and 4/1000 in informant studies. Self-reported CSA was more common among female (180/1000) than among male participants (76/1000). Lowest rates for both girls (113/1000) and boys (41/1000) were found in Asia, and highest rates were found for girls in Australia (215/1000) and for boys in Africa (193/1000). The results of our meta-analysis confirm that CSA is a global problem of considerable extent, but also show that methodological issues drastically influence the self-reported prevalence of CSA.

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A Global Perspective on Child Sexual Abuse: Meta-Analysis of Prevalence Around the World:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex, serious psychiatric disorder characterized by pervasive instability in regulation of emotion, self-image, interpersonal relationships, and impulse control.1 BPD is the most prevalent personality disorder in clinical settings and is associated with severe functional impairment, substantial treatment utilization, and high rates of mortality by suicide.2–5 Clinical studies have also shown BPD to be highly comorbid with most substance use, mood, anxiety, and other personality disorders (PDs).6–12

Although BPD is among the most frequently studied PDs in clinical settings, little is known about its prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity in general population samples. Several earlier community studies13–27 of BPD were limited by selection of small samples (n=133–799) not entirely representative of the general population. Others preselected individuals from larger general population samples based on responses to PD screening instruments or psychopathology,15,19,20,24 further limiting the size of the survey samples on which to base prevalence estimates. Of the 2 larger-scale epidemiologic surveys, the one conducted in Norway28 (n = 2,053) was compromised by a low response rate (57%), and the Australian survey29 (n=10,641) used a PD screening measure rather than a diagnostic assessment instrument to assess PDs. Because of these limitations, very little is known about the sociodemographic characteristics, disability, and comorbidity of BPD with other psychiatric disorders. The 1 study that presented data on disorder-specific comorbidity19 did not control for other comorbid disorders, thereby precluding analysis of common and unique factors underlying disorder-specific associations with BPD.

The lack of comprehensive and detailed information on DSM-IV BPD in the United States represents a gap in our knowledge relevant to prevention, treatment, and economic costs. The present study was designed to address this gap using data from the 2004–2005 Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).30 The Wave 2 NESARC covered DSM-IV alcohol and specific drug use disorders, and mood and anxiety disorders assessed in the 2001–2002 Wave 1 NESARC,31, 32 in addition to BPD, schizotypal and narcissistic PDs, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The remaining DSM-IV PDs (avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, schizoid, histrionic, and antisocial), were assessed in the Wave 1 NESARC. The sample size and high response rate of the Wave 2 NESARC allow for reliable and precise estimation of lifetime prevalence of BPD, especially among important sociodemographic subgroups of the population. Furthermore, comorbidity of BPD with each Axis I and II disorder was examined while controlling for both sociodemographic characteristics and additional psychiatric disorders to determine the unique relationship of each specific disorder to BPD. The importance of controlling for other disorders that are highly comorbid with one another represents an advance in our understanding of comorbidity recently highlighted in the epidemiologic literature.33, 34 This study also provides information on mental and physical disability associated with BPD. Because so little is known about sex differences in BPD, information on correlates, disability and comorbidity of BPD is presented for the total sample and by sex.

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Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV narcissistic personality disorder: results from the wave 2 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions.

Objective:This report surveys and evaluates the scientific research on evidence-based healthcare design and extracts its implications for designing better and safer hospitals.Background:It builds o...

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A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design

Published prevalence estimates of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among nonclinical samples are highly heterogeneous, raising concerns about their reliability and hindering attempts to explore the alleged increase in NSSI over time. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of methodological factors on heterogeneity in NSSI prevalence estimates, explore changes over time, and estimate overall international NSSI prevalence. Results showed that methodological factors contributed over half (51.6%) of the heterogeneity in prevalence estimates, and, after adjusting for these factors, NSSI prevalence did not increase over time. Overall, pooled NSSI prevalence was 17.2% among adolescents, 13.4% among young adults, and 5.5% among adults. Clearly, development of standardized methodology in NSSI research is crucial if accurate estimates are desired.

Prevalence of Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in Nonclinical Samples: Systematic Review, Meta‐Analysis and Meta‐Regression

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate dissociative disorder and overall psychiatric comorbidity in patients with conversion disorder. Method Thirty-eight consecutive patients previously diagnosed with conversion disorder were evaluated in two follow-up interviews. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, the Dissociation Questionnaire, the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were administered during the first follow-up interview. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders was conducted in a separate evaluation. Results At least one psychiatric diagnosis was found in 89.5% of the patients during the follow-up evaluation. Undifferentiated somatoform disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, dysthymic disorder, simple phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified were the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. A dissociative disorder was seen in 47.4% of the patients. These patients had dysthymic disorder, major depression, somatization disorder, and borderline personality disorder more frequently than the remaining subjects. They also reported childhood emotional and sexual abuse, physical neglect, self-mutilative behavior, and suicide attempts more frequently. Conclusions Comorbid dissociative disorder should alert clinicians for a more chronic and severe psychopathology among patients with conversion disorder.

Childhood trauma, dissociation, and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with conversion disorder.

This study sought to determine the prevalence of dissociative disorders among women in the general population, as assessed in a representative sample of a city in central Turkey. The Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS), the Borderline Personality Disorder section of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II), and the PTSD-Module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) were administered to 628 women in 500 homes. The mean age of participants was 34.8 (S.D.=11.5, range: 18-65); 18.3% of participants (n=115) had a lifetime diagnosis of a dissociative disorder. Dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS) was the most prevalent diagnosis (8.3%); 1.1% of the population was diagnosed as having dissociative identity disorder (DID). Participants with a dissociative disorder had borderline personality disorder, somatization disorder, major depression, PTSD, and history of suicide attempt more frequently than did participants without a dissociative disorder. Childhood sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional abuse were significant predictors of a dissociative disorder diagnosis. Only 28.7% of the dissociative participants had received psychiatric treatment previously. Because dissociative disorders are trauma-related, significant part of the adult clinical consequences of childhood trauma remains obscure in the minds of mental health professionals and of the overall community. Revisions in diagnostic criteria of dissociative disorders in the DSM-IV are recommended.

Prevalence of dissociative disorders among women in the general population

Objective: To demonstrate the prevalence of social phobia and its relation to body image and self-esteem. Method: Study participants were 1003 students recruited from Cumhuriyet University as a randomized sample. Subjects were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule-III-Revised (DIS-III-R) Social Phobia Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Multidimensional Body–Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). We analyzed the data, using Fisher’s exact chi-square test. Results: Lifetime prevalence of social phobia among university students was 9.6% and past-year prevalence was 7.9%. Self-esteem was lower (P < 0.05) among those with social phobia than among those without social phobia. Students with social phobia had lower scores on the MBSRQ than did those without social phobia (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The results show that persons with social phobia have lower self-esteem and more distorted body image than do those without social phobia. (Can J Psychiatry 2004;49:630–634)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674370404900910

Social phobia among university students and its relation to self-esteem and body image.

Aims and objectives.  The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare sleep quality of the hospitalized patients and matched healthy controls.

Background.  Although the functions of sleep are not clearly understood, it is generally accepted that it is necessary for the maintenance of good health. Hospitalized patients’ sleep may not be refreshing or restorative. The reasons for this can be categorized into three groups: environmental, physiological and psychological.

Design and methods.  This research was conducted at the Cumhuriyet University Hospital in Turkey. One hundred and fifty hospitalized patients (psychiatry = 50; orthopaedic + general surgery + cardiovascular surgery + urology = 50; internal medicine + chest diseases + infectious diseases + physical therapy and rehabilitation = 50) and 50 healthy controls constituted the sample. The researchers administered to the patient and control groups Sociodemographic Information Form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We compared sociodemographic and illness variables with sleep characteristics. The following statistical analyses were used in order to evaluate the data: variance analysis, Tukey HSD test, Student's t-test, Kruskall–Wallis test.

Results.  We found that patients in psychiatric ward experienced worse sleep quality than the other patients, worse in female patients than male patients, and worse sleep characteristics in patients than controls.

Conclusions.  Health professionals must be educated about sleep and must provide intervention when needed.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The enhancing of sleep quality accelerates to the recovery from illness.

Sleep quality in hospitalized patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in school age children in Sivas province centre and to examine the distribution of symptoms according to subtypes. The study population was made up of 1425 children between the ages of 6 and 15 from eight primary schools selected by random sampling method in Sivas province centre. All students were given a questionnaire prepared according to DSMIV criteria that was completed by their parents or teachers. This form includes 18 symptoms of ADHD and eight symptoms of ODD. Student’s t-test and variance analysis were used for statistical evaluation. A prevalence of 8.1% was found for ADHD in our study. According to subtypes, 32.2% of these were “inattentive”, 40% were “hyperactive” and 27.8% were combined type. A prevalence of 11.5% was found for ODD. The boy/girl ratio was > 1 for both ADHD and ODD, and 52.2% of those with ADHD were established as having ODD at the same time. The prevalence of ADHD and ODD in primary school children was not considered to be small. Studies concerning the distribution of symptoms in different societies, cultures, and viewpoints and identification of children with this type of problem are beneficial for early diagnosis and prophylactic treatment.

Orhan Doğan

Papers

Childhood trauma, dissociation, and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with conversion disorder.

Prevalence of dissociative disorders among women in the general population

Social phobia among university students and its relation to self-esteem and body image.

Sleep quality in hospitalized patients.

The distribution of symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder in school age children in Turkey.