Suicide

1. Suicide • Bruce Campana MD, FACEP, FRCPC • Family Medicine Forum 2010 • October 16, 2010

2. Introduction • Who am I • What to expect • Disclaimer • Tech points

3. Objectives • 1) Be familiar with the “red flags” of the potentially suicidal patient. • 2) Have a clear idea how to manage patients who are not an immediate risk. • 3) Be able to initiate management of the potentially suicidal patient. • 4) Be comfortable with indications for and methods of involuntary restraint of such patients. • 5) Have some knowledge of current medico-legal issues surrounding the potentially suicidal patient in the ED.

4. Case # 1 • The man with cancer • Lived alone • Recent dx lung ca • Owned a gun • Shot heard on his front porch

5. Case # 2 • The young lady with green hair • Lived on street • Some drug use • No clear suicidal ideation. But...

6. Case # 3 • The PD who enjoyed antifreeze • 35 YO male w/BPD • Drank ethylene glycol, phoned EHS • A lot • Intervention

7. Case # 4 • The young woman and the ex-boyfriend • 17 YOF broke up with BF • Took 3 APAP, 1 Ativan, and some Flintstones vitamins • Called BF, who called EHS • Much weeping, running, handwringing

8. Case #5 • The young lady who had everything • 28 YOF resident • Intelligent, talented, attractive • Admitted to downtown hospital for suicidal ideation

9. Case #6 • The guy who really, really wanted to die • 41 YO male • Recent cocaine binge • Doused self in gas, lit up, drove van into wall, wall collapsed, went over cliff. EHS arrived, watched as screwdriver plunged into LUQ, then drilled into left parasternal area. To hospital.

10. Definition • suicide |ˈsoōiˌsīd|noun • the action of killing oneself intentionally • Suicidal ideation: thoughts • Passive SI: “I wish I were dead” • Active SI: “I’m going to buy a gun and shoot myself” • Suicidal gesture: No realistic expectation of death • Suicide attempt: SI harm expecting death

11. Epidemiology • “Suicide is among the top three causes of death in the 15-44 years of age group around the globe.” (WHO) • One million deaths per year worldwide

12. Still more epidemiology • One in three may contemplate suicide • One out of 18 attempts is completed • About 1/10,000 people commit suicide

13. So you think you know about suicide? • What country has the highest suicide rate? • Lithuania. (WHO, Wikipedia)

14. Attempted suicide age/gender Epidemiology - Canada Who attempts suicide?

15. Epidemiology - Canada • Deaths by suicide in Canada (2003): 3,764 • Male deaths by suicide: 2902 • Female deaths by suicide: 862 From Stats Canada 2003

16. Canadian Suicide Rates Per 100,000

17. Canadian Suicide Methods (2001) Hanging Gases Firearms Jumping Burning Motor vehicle Stats Canada 2003

18. So you think you know about suicide? • Is suicide illegal in Canada? • Who cares? But no. It was removed from the criminal code in 1972.

19. American suicide methods • US: Suicide 2x more likely than homicide • 8th-11th leading cause of death in US • GSW most common method in US • Rate 57x higher in 1st wk post handgun purchase • Guns: male, EtOH, prior arrest, PD • Jump: single, unemployed, psychotic • More likely to jump where tall buildings and bridges

20. So you think you know about suicide? • What province has the highest suicide rate? • Quebec (StatsCan, 2001)

21. Epidemiology - Canada Suicide Death by Province (NB: Nunavut x 10) Source: Stats Can 2003

22. OK - Last Epidemiology • Big two (90% have at least one of): • Schizophrenia/major depression • Addictive disorder • 15% suicide death rate with at least one

23. Pathophysiology • Many motivations: • hopeless, guilt, self-hatred • psychosis • escape from chronic pain • copycat - adolescents

24. Pathophysiology • Aggression to others, then self • May arise from loneliness as child, sexual abuse • Genes: Attempts vs success • Low serotonin, low dopamine

25. Depression • Major risk factor for suicide. • 15% will complete. • Need practical tool for ED. • Sig me caps (Sleep, Interest, Guilt, Mood, Energy, Concentration, Appetite, Suicidal) * • At least five, and at least one of first two, all present in a two week period = major depressive episode * Harwitz, 2000

26. Schizophrenia • Major risk factor • 4-10% (8x baseline)of pts w/SCZ commit suicide • 20-40% will attempt suicide • Risk in SCZ: young, male, white, high functioning pre-scz, single, substance abuse, prior attempts, recent D/C

27. Mania • Multiple variants of bipolar disease • Increased risk in depressive episodes vs manic • Male=female risk

28. So you think you know about suicide? • True or false? Borderline PDs don’t ever really kill themselves. • False - BPDs have a significantly higher successful suicide rate (3-10%)

29. Personality disorders • BPD is clearly a risk for “attempts” • BPD also has 3-10% risk of successful suicide • Other risks: PTSD, ASPD, schizotypal, incr freq/sev of attempts • ASPD has 3.7 x greater likelihood of suicide

30. Panic Disorder • Conflicting evidence - may be at increased risk

31. Evaluating • Place • quiet, safe • Approach • nonverbal and verbal clues

32. Evaluating • Nonverbal clues • age (>60) • gender (male) • race (white, native)

33. Evaluating • History • Medical history (chronic disease: ca, HIV, CRF, PUD, SLE, chronic pain) • Current medications (ie opiates) • Psych hx (prior attempts, psychosis) • Social (marital, living arrangements)

34. Evaluating • “I notice you seem sad today.” • Ask the question • Be direct, sensitive, non-judgemental • Does NOT give them ideas • “Have you thought about harming yourself?”

35. Evaluating • Is there a plan? • How serious/lethal is it? • Inquire re weapons, hoarding pills. • Is it rehearsed/researched? • Is there a note? • All of these increase risk

36. From the internet...

37. How to ask stuff • What are the secrets that psychiatrists use? • From: “My Favorite Tips for Uncovering Sensitive and Taboo Information from Antisocial Behavior to Suicidal Ideation”, by Shawn Shea, 2007

38. How to ask stuff (Cont’d) • 1) Fact finding: Draws out facts • How close do you think you came to killing yourself? (“Not that close”) vs: • Exactly how many pills did you take?

39. How to ask stuff (Cont’d) • 2) Sequencing: • What happened tonight? vs: • After you took the pills, what did you do next?

40. How to ask stuff (Cont’d) • 3) Normalization/Gentle assumption - patients may feel too embarrassed to describe a particular behaviour. • a) Normalization: • “Some people in this kind of situation have thought about killing themselves. Have you considered that?”

41. How to ask stuff (Cont’d) • b) Gentle assumption: • Do you masturbate? vs: • How often do you masturbate?

42. How to ask stuff (Cont’d) • 4) Symptom amplification: sets the bar high, prevents minimizing: • How many pills did you take? 40? 50? • Do you masturbate 30 times per day? 40?

43. Evaluating • Get collateral! • Most people can’t keep a secret • Family, friends, police, paramedics, witnesses

44. Evaluating • Physical exam • VS, fever, glucometer, O2 sat’n • Agitation, impulsiveness • Intoxication/orientation/delerium • Scars suggesting remote or recent SI injury

45. Evaluating • Physical exam: • head injury • meningitis*, pneumonia, urosepsis • any correctable condition • evidence of chronic disease * Another fascinating anecdote

46. Evaluating • Labs • “Psych panel” • CBC, Chem w/LFTs, EtOH, ASA, APAP, TSH • Absolutely useless in known psych pts • Others: tox screen, CT head

47. Risk factors • Rates increase with: • mental illness (depression, schizophrenia) • substance use/addiction (EtOH, cocaine) • age (>60) • gender (men)

48. Risk factors • Rates increase with (cont’d): • financial difficulties • single/lack of social support • recent humiliation • fam hx suicide attempt/success • recent D/C from psych stay or prison

49. How do we decide?Relative risk factors Condition Relative risk Adapted from A.P.A. Guidelines, part A, p. 16

50. So you think you know about suicide? • True or false: Dementia increases suicide risk. • False. Dementia is not a risk factor for suicide.