PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Patient suicide and homicide risk often missed say researchers

The assessment of risk in patients who go on to die by suicide or commit homicide is often poor, a new study has found

2013-06-26
(Press-News.org) The assessment of risk in patients who go on to die by suicide or commit homicide is often poor, a new study has found.

A report by The University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry (NCI) into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness out today has raised concerns about the way that risk is assessed and led to criticism of the tick-box approach to clinical practice.

Researchers looked at a sample of 81 cases where risk had been judged to be low, but seven days or less after the assessment the patient died by suicide or committed homicide, to retrospectively address the quality of the assessments. They found that in about a third of the cases (36% of the patient suicides and 41% or the patient homicides) the overall quality of risk assessment was unsatisfactory. In the majority of cases, however, risk assessment and management were satisfactory, even though they were followed within seven days by a fatal incident.

Professor Louis Appleby, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) on behalf of the NHS England, NHSSPS Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Channel Islands, said: "The results suggest there is a need for risk management to be individually tailored, or personalized, to each patient rather than following a "tick-box" approach.

"In the majority of the 81 sample cases studied risk assessment and management were satisfactory, but in a significant minority of cases we studied we found clinical risk assessment and management may not have been adequate. This is an uncomfortable conclusion for clinicians but one that should lead to improvements.

"In a small but significant number of cases, even when risk was recognized, appropriate management did not follow, for example patients were granted unescorted leave within a few hours of detention for acute psychosis. This could be the consequence of a "tick-box" approach to risk assessment, something that has been widely criticized by clinicians."

Professor Appleby, from the University's Centre for Behaviour and Mental Health who is also part of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, said the risk factors associated with suicide and serious violence in mental illness were well documented. Previous studies show one in four people who die by suicide have a history of recent contact with mental health services and one in 10 who commit homicide.

The researchers developed a framework for evaluating the quality of risk assessment and management in mental health patients based on existing best practice guidelines which included taking into account the patient's history, mental state and current circumstances, an overall judgment of the risk factors, a management plan, communication of the management plan and overall quality of assessment.

Unsatisfactory assessments before a homicide were often associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder or alcohol misuse.

The report authors hope that services will now use the framework and key principles set out in the report to examine their own processes, in particular that of individual risk assessment formulation followed by personalized risk management. Further studies should focus on assessment of patients with personality disorder, look at more cases using the framework, Professor Appleby added.



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Major rethink needed if chemical industry is to meet greenhouse gas targets

2013-06-26
The UK chemical industry requires 'an urgent and radical rethink' into how it produces chemicals if it is to play its part in meeting Government's stringent greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 80% plus by 2050. That is one of the conclusions of a major new report issued today by the University of Manchester's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Entitled 'Can the UK afford (not) to produce chemicals in 2050?' the report was generated in collaboration with the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) following investigations into chemical sector greenhouse ...

Exaggeration, exaggeration, exaggeration: Parties over-egg claims on education

2013-06-26
Exaggeration, exaggeration, exaggeration: parties over-egg claims on education Both major political parties have overstated their claims and counter-claims on education, according to an independent review of Labour's record in office. The report, led by Professor Anthony Heath from The University of Manchester, says governments mostly fail to introduce policies which can be rigorously evaluated. The report, published this month in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, praises Labour 's policy on further education and Education Maintenance Allowance. The Blair and ...

Complex genetic architectures: Some common symptoms of trisomy 21

2013-06-26
Down syndrome, more commonly known as "trisomy 21" is very often accompanied by pathologies found in the general population: Alzheimer's disease, leukemia, or cardiac deficiency. In a study conducted by Professor Stylianos Antonarakis' group from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), researchers have identified the genomic variations associated with trisomy 21, determining the risk of congenital heart disease in people with Down syndrome. The targeted and specific study of chromosome 21 revealed two genomic variations, which, in combination, are the ...

Bladder function restored in animals with severe spinal cord injury

2013-06-26
For the first time, researchers have restored significant bladder function through nerve regeneration in rats with the most severe spinal cord injuries (SCI). The breakthrough paired a traditional nerve bridge graft with a novel combination of scar degrading and growth factor treatments to grow new nerve cells from the thoracic level to the lower spinal cord region. Details of the discovery appear in the June 26 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Neuroscientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Cleveland Clinic built a regeneration bridge ...

Virtual skin model reveals secrets of skin aging

2013-06-26
We constantly grow new skin and slough off the old. Until now, scientists have never agreed on exactly how this works, but new research from the University of Sheffield may provide the answer. Engineers and biologists at the University of Sheffield have shown how a recent theory-- that skin has 'sleeping' stem cells which can be woken up when required-- best explains how our skin constantly regrows. The research-- conducted in collaboration with The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), makers of Olay, and published in Nature Scientific Reports-- has implications for combating ...

Teenage physical fitness reduces the risk of suicidal behavior later in life

2013-06-26
Being in good physical shape at 18 years of age can be linked with a reduced risk of attempted suicide later in life. So says a study of over one million Swedish men conducted by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. A new, extensive report from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare on child and adolescent health shows that teenagers and young adults in Sweden have worse mental health than their age cohorts in other western countries. Another report that is part of a new social welfare study shows that the number of serious ...

Sailors most often injure their knees -- on land

2013-06-26
The knees are the body part that is injured the most by dinghy sailors. The injuries are primarily due to overstrain and most often occur during physical training. This was shown in a study at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. "Studies have been made on the risk of injury for many sports, but not for dinghy sailing. With more knowledge, we can create recommendations that will prevent sailors from getting injured," says Lena Bøymo-Having, who conducted the study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. During the study, researchers followed ...

Having a job helps women with HIV manage their illness, according to new research

2013-06-26
Having a job helps women with HIV manage their illnesses, according to researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the University of California at San Francisco. The routine of a work schedule, plus the job-related money and benefits, provides extra emotional support for these women, said Allison Webel, assistant professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and the study's lead author. Findings in the National Institutes of Health-supported study were published this month in Social Science & Medicine. The ...

Songbirds turn on and tune up

2013-06-26
Bullfinches learn from human teachers to sing melodies accurately, according to a new study by the late Nicolai Jürgen and researchers from the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany. Their analysis of human melody singing in bullfinches gives insights into the songbirds' brain processes. The work is published online in Springer's journal Animal Cognition. Music performance is considered to be one of the most complex and demanding cognitive challenges that the human mind can undertake. Melody singing requires precise timing of several organized actions as well as accurate ...

New research: Wolf Lake ancient forest is endangered ecosystem

2013-06-26
New research from the University of Guelph, published Tuesday in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, says that allowing industrial extraction in a northern Ontario old-growth red pine forest – the largest remaining in the world – would significantly threaten biodiversity in Canada. The study says that Wolf Lake Forest Reserve is a "scientifically irreplaceable system." "Wolf Lake Forest deserves intensive study, monitoring and full protection from future development," said Guelph environmental sciences professor Madhur Anand, the study's lead author. Old-growth ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 7 Publishes

New research expands laser technology

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

[Press-News.org] Patient suicide and homicide risk often missed say researchers
The assessment of risk in patients who go on to die by suicide or commit homicide is often poor, a new study has found