• Anxiety and mood
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2013

The increasing suicide rate is a serious problem in Korea. Because of increased awareness of suicidality as a problem and because completed suicide is the fourth leading cause of death, it is very important to assess the risk of suicide. The purpose of this review is to provide a systematic examination of predictive validity of measures of suicidal ideation and behavior. A number of instruments are described as useful for identifying individuals "at high risk" for suicidal behavior. However, the predictive validity for most suicide measures has not been established. The present review only includes suicide assessment instruments with published predictive validity. In addition to evaluating the suicide assessment with respect to predictive validity, the present review describes and summarizes the psychometric properties of each measure. In conclusion, because of the complexity of studying the risk of suicide and the paucity of well-designed studies, it is extremely difficult to compare and generalize these findings. In addition, only a few instruments, such as the Scale for Suicide Ideation, Suicide Intent Scale and the Beck Hopelessness Scale, have been found to be significant risk factors for completed suicide. Another problem in the field involves that there have been few suicide measures designed for elderly populations. Clearly, future research is needed to investigate the predictive validity of standardized measures for completed suicide, especially targeting elderly populations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Objectives: Hanging is a common method of attempted suicide. This study investigated the epidemiological profile of attempted and completed suicides by hanging in southern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1167 suicide attempts by hanging between 2011 and 2019. All data related to suicide attempts by hanging were collected from the Fars Suicide Surveillance System. The trends in suicide cases and the mean age of attempted and completed suicides were plotted. The chi-square test was used to identify suicide-related factors. Crude rates of incidence, mortality, and standardized fatality during the study period were calculated. Finally, logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of death in individuals who attempted suicide. Results: The mean age of those who attempted suicide was 33.21±16.82 years; the majority were male (80.5%). The rate of attempted and completed suicide by hanging were 3.50 and 2.79 per 100 000 people, respectively. The case-fatality rate was calculated as 79.34%. The results of our study indicated an increasing trend in suicide attempts by hanging. The likelihood of death was 2.28 times higher in individuals with a previous history of suicide attempts and 1.85 times higher in those with a psychological disorder. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest an increasing trend in attempted and completed suicide by hanging, especially among individuals with a history of suicide attempts and psychological disorders. It is necessary to take action to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and identify the underlying causes of suicide attempts by hanging.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

Suicide, the fourth leading cause of death in Korea, is a serious national problem. The Korea National Suicide Survey (KNSS) is the result of the first legislation to address this issue, "Article 11 of THE ACT FOR THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE AND THE CREATION OF A CULTURE OF RESPECT FOR LIFE" (the "Act for the Prevention of Suicide"). To overcome the limitations of previous studies, the KNSS was designed by collaborators from a variety of fields : psychology, epidemiology, social welfare, and psychiatry. The KNSS was composed of four substudies that addressed the multifaceted process involved in suicide-related behavior over time, exploring general attitudes toward suicide and suicidal ideation, suicide planning, suicide attempts, and completed suicides. Study 1 examined the risk factors for suicide based on data regarding completed suicides ; Study 2 adopted the approach of a psychological autopsy ; Study 3 focused on suicide attempters ; and Study 4 explored attitudes toward suicide in the general population. The KNSS was designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of suicide from a longitudinal, multifaceted perspective to serve as a basis for policies aimed at suicide prevention.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aims to examine the effect of adolescent suicide survivors' experience on suicide death risk, and the effect of referral to mental health services (hereafter referral) in this regard. Methods: This study used the data of 878 suicide-deceased and suicide-attempted adolescents aged 8-19 years, managed by the Suicide and School Mental Health Institute from 2016 to 2018. Results: Regression analysis for main effects showed that although suicide experience had no direct effect on suicide death, non-referral status was associated with a greater risk of death by suicide. While the "non-suicide survivor with non-referral" and "suicide survivor with non-referral" groups showed 1.87 [adjusted odds ratio=1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-2.89] and 4.59 (adjusted odds ratio=4.59, 95% CI=2.02-10.42) times higher odds of suicide death, respectively, the "suicide survivor with referral" group showed no difference compared to the "non-suicide survivor with referral" group. Conclusion: From these findings, there is a need to strengthen referral to mental health services and apply complicated grief treatment to improve the mental health of adolescent suicide survivors.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.266-272
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• 2015

Objectives : This study examined the impact of peer's suicide on mental health of middle-school students. The aim of this study was to describe the course of posttraumatic stress and grief reaction, suicide ideation, and depression score among adolescents after exposure to peer's suicide and to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress and other mental health scores in these subjects. Methods : Thirty seven middle school students who were exposed to the suicidal death of a peer completed self-report measures to assess levels of depression, grief reaction, post-traumatic stress, and suicide ideation at 1 month and 8 months after the peer's suicide. Results : There was no significant change in mental health scores between 1 month and 8 months. Level of posttraumatic stress after 8 months was related to acute grief response. Subjects who experienced a clinically significant level of suicidal ideation and posttraumatic stress showed more mental health problems. Conclusion : The results suggested that peer's suicide strongly impacted mental health issues of adolescents at a critical time of adolescent development. Clinicians should perform a thorough evaluation of mental health problems for youth who experienced peer's suicide and help them in management of their grief reaction.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.114-121
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• 2018

Objective: Although suicide is a serious public health concern for adolescents, there is a lack of studies that explore its risk factors in the Republic of Korea. The present study aims to investigate risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors in Korean adolescents. Methods: Participants consisted of 2258 middle and high school students who completed a series of questionnaires regarding suicide ideation or attempts, non-suicidal self-injuries, depression, impulsivity, drinking behaviors, and negative life events, including peer bullying. Results: Among the participants, 8.3% of students reported suicide ideation, while 3.2% reported a history of a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Depression, peer-victimization, internet-related delinquency, and positive attitudes toward suicide were associated with suicidal ideations and attempts. Adverse life events were also associated with suicide ideation, but not attempts, while not living with both parents and poor family relationships were associated with suicide attempts, but not ideations. Non-suicidal self-injuries were associated with both suicide ideations and attempts. Students with suicidal ideations and attempts can be differentiated depending on the presence of self-injury. Conclusion: In addition to depression or behavioral problems, non-suicidal self-injuries and lack of support from family may also play significant roles in suicide attempts in adolescents. To facilitate the prevention of suicide in adolescents, longitudinal studies should be followed to confirm the risk factors identified in this study.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2012

Objective : The current study investigated the psychopathology characteristics of the suicide attempter visited in a university hospital for one year using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test commonly used in clinical medicine. Methods : 72 suicide attempter and 115 control group completed the Korean version of the MMPI. Results : The MMPI scores of the suicide attempters were significantly higher on the lie (L), infrequency (F), defensiveness (K), paranoia (Pa), psychasthenia (Pt), schizophrenia (Sc), hypomania (Ma) than the comparison group. Conclusion : We supposed that suicide attempter have more chance of being paranoid, psychasthenic, schizoid or hypomanic than the control group relatively. They seem to have psychotic psychopathology rather than neurotic psychopathology. These results suppoed that the psychopatholgy of suicide attempter may be different from the control group. However the final decision is indefinite, it needs more well designed systemic studies.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2018

Purpose: The Korean government has tried to decrease the suicide death rate over the last decade. Suicide attempts, particularly non-fatal attempts, are the most powerful known risk factor for a completed suicide. An analysis of suicide attempt methods will help establish the effective preventive action of suicide. Fit prevention according to the method of suicide attempt may decrease the incidence of suicide death. Self-poisoning is suggested as a major method of both suicide attempts and suicide death. The aim of this study was to determine if a self-poisoning patient is a suitable target for the prevention of the suicide. Methods: This was retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort, which included patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) after a self-harm or suicide attempt from Jan 2013 to Dec 2017. The proportion of methods in suicide attempts, psychological consultation, and fatality according to the suicide attempt method were analyzed. The types of poison were also analyzed. Results: Poisoning was the most common method of suicide attempts (52.1%). The rate of psychological consultations were 18.8% for all patients and 29.1% for poison patients (p<0.001). The rate of mortality in poisoning was 0.6%. Psychological consultation was performed more frequently in admission cases than discharged cases. The most common materials of poisons was psychological medicines and sedatives that had been prescribed at clinics or hospital. Conclusion: Self-poisoning is a major method of suicide attempt with a high rate of psychiatric consultation, low mortality rate, versus others methods. The prevention of suicide death for suicide attempts may focus on self-poisoning, which is the major method of suicide attempts. A suitable aftercare program for self-poisoning may be an effective method for preventing suicide if an early diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders through psychiatric consultation can be made, and early connection to social prevention program for non-fatal patients are possible.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.74-85
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• 2017

Objective : A variety of approaches are needed to solve high suicide rates in Korean society. Although suicide prevention education has been provided for the public and suicide risk groups in Korea, a systematic discussion of simple, effective suicide prevention guidelines for the general public has yet to be made. Self-help guidelines for suicide prevention, which can help prevent suicide in at risk individuals, will be developed through expert questionnaires. Methods : In order to develop the draft guidelines, suicide prevention self-help phrases were gathered and compiled from homepages and publicity materials of domestic and international suicide prevention and related organizations. A panel of 16 suicide prevention experts conducted primary and secondary surveys using the Delphi method, which derives results from consensus among expert groups. The validity and appropriateness of the guidelines was analyzed using content validity ratios (CVR). Results : Of 33 candidate phrases selected for the suicide prevention guidelines, 9 showed high CVR after the secondary Delphi round. The highest level of support with total agreement was given to 'Do not be alone, stay with someone'. However, more than half of the panelists evaluated 14/27 of the primary Delphi round and 12/26 of the secondary Delphi round phrases as invalid. The researchers completed 10 self-help guidelines for suicide prevention, after eliminating 1 redundant phrase and including 2 additional phrases that showed relatively high CVR. Conclusion : We have developed 10 self-help guidelines for suicide prevention through the consensus of experts. Further studies on the effects of the guidleines relative to suicide rates are needed after widespread dissemination.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2019

Objectives : Epidemiological studies in other countries show that a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) increases the risk of depression or suicidality. However, no studies have investigated the associations of suicidality with omega-3 FAs in Korea. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of omega FAs on suicidality in the general South Korean population. Methods : The data in this study were sourced from adults (n=215,860) who completed the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI), and the associations between omega FAs and suicidality were analyzed using multivariate logistic regressions. Results : Our results demonstrated that high omega-3 FA intake was associated with a decreased risk of suicide (OR=0.83, 95% CI : 0.71-0.98) and the high omega-6 to omega-3 FA ratio was associated with an increased risk of suicide (OR=1.25, 95% CI : 1.02-1.54). Additionally, a high intake of omega-3 FAs was associated with a decreased risk of suicide in men, but not in women (OR=0.72, 95% CI : 0.59-0.88). Conclusions : Overall, our findings suggest that a lower intake of omega-3 FA is associated with the increased risk of suicidality in the general Korean population, especially in men.