Crisis-the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention 

About: Crisis-the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention is an academic journal published by Hogrefe Verlag. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Suicide prevention & Poison control. It has an ISSN identifier of 0227-5910. Over the lifetime, 1653 publications have been published receiving 34663 citations. The journal is also known as: Crisis (Toronto, Ont. Print) & Crisis (Göttingen. Internet).

The writing cure : how expressive writing promotes health and emotional well-being

Abstract: The Writing Cure presents groundbreaking research on the cognitive, emotional, and biological pathways through which disclosure and expressive writing influences mental and physical health. Although writing has been a popular therapeutic technique for years, only recently have researchers subjected it to rigorous scientific scrutiny and applied it to persons suffering from physical illnesses such as cancer and hypertension. Contributors present cutting-edge findings on expressive writing and health outcomes and point students and scientists to new avenues of research. The volume is rich in illustrations of clinical applications for this technique and it provides examples of how expressive writing can improve the immune system and lung function, how it can diminish psychological distress and enhance relationships and social-role functioning. It also includes discussions of alternative writing intervention formats, including workbooks and the Internet. Featuring a revealing epilogue by James Pennebaker, one of the pioneers of expressive writing intervention, this volume will be of interest to researchers and practitioners who explore and work with expressive-therapy techniques.

Psychiatric Diagnoses and Suicide: Revisiting the Evidence

Abstract: Background: The key role of prevention and treatment of mental disorders in the prevention of suicide is widely acknowledged. Which specific disorders need to be targeted remains to be conclusively demonstrated. Aims: To re-examine the presence of psychiatric diagnosis in cases of completed suicide from a global perspective. Method: A review of studies reporting diagnoses of mental disorders in cases of completed suicide with or without history of admission to mental hospitals. Results: Most cases were from Europe and North America (82.2%). The majority (98%) of these had a diagnosis of at least one mental disorder. Among all diagnoses, mood disorders accounted for 30.2%, followed by substance-use related disorders (17.6%), schizophrenia (14.1%), and personality disorders (13.0%). Conclusions: The mental health paradigm in suicide prevention covers just a part of the problem. Antisuicide strategies focusing exclusively on the identification and treatment of depression need to be reconsidered. In...

The Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior

Abstract: Suicide is a major public health concern accounting for 800 000 deaths globally each year. Although there have been many advances in understanding suicide risk in recent decades, our ability to predict suicide is no better now than it was 50 years ago. There are many potential explanations for this lack of progress, but the absence, until recently, of comprehensive theoretical models that predict the emergence of suicidal ideation distinct from the transition between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts/suicide is key to this lack of progress. The current article presents the integrated motivational–volitional (IMV) model of suicidal behaviour, one such theoretical model. We propose that defeat and entrapment drive the emergence of suicidal ideation and that a group of factors, entitled volitional moderators (VMs), govern the transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal behaviour. According to the IMV model, VMs include access to the means of suicide, exposure to suicidal behaviour, capability for suicide (fearlessness about death and increased physical pain tolerance), planning, impulsivity, mental imagery and past suicidal behaviour. In this article, we describe the theoretical origins of the IMV model, the key premises underpinning the model, empirical tests of the model and future research directions.

Tracking Suicide Risk Factors Through Twitter in the US

Abstract: Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Social media such as Twitter is an emerging surveillance tool that may assist researchers in tracking suicide risk factors in real time. Aims: To identify suicide-related risk factors through Twitter conversations by matching on geographic suicide rates from vital statistics data. Method: At-risk tweets were filtered from the Twitter stream using keywords and phrases created from suicide risk factors. Tweets were grouped by state and departures from expectation were calculated. The values for suicide tweeters were compared against national data of actual suicide rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: A total of 1,659,274 tweets were analyzed over a 3-month period with 37,717 identified as at-risk for suicide. Midwestern and western states had a higher proportion of suicide-related tweeters than expected, while the reverse was true for southern and eastern states. A strong correlation was observed between sta...

The Impact of Epidemic Outbreak The Case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Suicide Among Older Adults in Hong Kong

Abstract: Background: Previous studies revealed that there was a significant increase in suicide deaths among those aged 65 and over in 2003. The peak coincided with the majority of SARS cases being reported in April 2003.Aims: In this paper we examine the mechanism of how the SARS outbreak resulted in a higher completed suicide rate especially among older adults in Hong Kong. Methods: We used Qualitative data analysis to uncover the association between the occurrence of SARS and older adult suicide. Furthermore, we used a qualitative study based on the Coroner Court reports to provide empirical evidence about the relationship between SARS and the excessive number of suicide deaths among the elderly.Results: SARS-related older adult suicide victims were more likely to be afraid of contracting the disease and had fears of disconnection. The suicide motives among SARS-related suicide deaths were more closely associated with stress over fears of being a burden to their families during the negative impact of the epidemic. Social disengagement, mental stress, and anxiety at the time of the SARS epidemic among a certain group of older adults resulted in an exceptionally high rate of suicide deaths. Conclusions: We recommend that the mental and psychological well-being of the community, in particular older adults, be taken into careful account when developing epidemic control measures to combat the future outbreak of diseases in the community. In addition, it is important to alert family members to vulnerable individuals who are at potential risk because of their illnesses or anxieties.