Suicide in women in the UK is highest among those in midlife. Given the unique changes in biological, social and economic risk factors experienced by women in midlife, more information is needed to inform care.

To investigate rates, characteristics and outcomes of self-harm in women in midlife compared to younger women and identify differences within the midlife age-group.

Data on women aged 40–59 years from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England from 2003 to 2016 were used, including mortality follow-up to 2019, collected via specialist assessments and/or emergency department records. Trends were assessed using negative binomial regression models. Comparative analysis used chi-square tests of association. Self-harm repetition and suicide mortality analyses used Cox proportional hazards models.

The self-harm rate in midlife women was 435 per 100 000 population and relatively stable over time (incident rate ratio (IRR) 0.99, p < 0.01). Midlife women reported more problems with finances, alcohol and physical and mental health. Suicide was more common in the oldest midlife women (hazard ratio 2.20, p < 0.01), while psychosocial assessment and psychiatric inpatient admission also increased with age.

Addressing issues relating to finances, mental health and alcohol misuse, alongside known social and biological transitions, may help reduce self-harm in women in midlife. Alcohol use was important across midlife while physical health problems and bereavement increased with age. Despite receiving more intensive follow-up care, suicide risk in the oldest women was elevated. Awareness of these vulnerabilities may help inform clinicians’ risk formulation and safety planning.

People under the care of mental health services are at increased risk of suicide. Existing studies are small in scale and lack comparisons.

To identify opportunities for suicide prevention and underpinning data enhancement in people with recent contact with mental health services.

This population-based study includes people who died by suicide in the year following a mental health services contact in Wales, 2001–2015 (cases), paired with similar patients who did not die by suicide (controls). We linked the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health and the Suicide Information Database – Cymru with primary and secondary healthcare records. We present results of conditional logistic regression.

We matched 1031 cases with 5155 controls. In the year before their death, 98.3% of cases were in contact with healthcare services, and 28.5% presented with self-harm. Cases had more emergency department contacts (odds ratio 2.4, 95% CI 2.1–2.7) and emergency hospital admissions (odds ratio 1.5, 95% CI 1.4–1.7), but fewer primary care contacts (odds ratio 0.7, 95% CI 0.6–0.9) and out-patient appointments (odds ratio 0.2, 95% CI 0.2–0.3) than controls. Odds ratios were larger in females than males for injury and poisoning (odds ratio: 3.3 (95% CI 2.5–4.5) v. 2.6 (95% CI 2.1–3.1)).

We may be missing existing opportunities to intervene, particularly in emergency departments and hospital admissions with self-harm presentations and with unattributed self-harm, especially in females. Prevention efforts should focus on strengthening routine care contacts, responding to emergency contacts and better self-harm care. There are benefits to enhancing clinical audit systems with routinely collected data.

People who experience homelessness are thought to be at high risk of suicide, but little is known about self-harm in this population.

To examine characteristics and outcomes in people experiencing homelessness who presented to hospital following self-harm.

Data were collected via specialist assessments and/or hospital patient records from emergency departments in Manchester, Oxford and Derby, UK. Data were collected from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2016, with mortality follow-up via data linkage with NHS Digital to 31 December 2019. Trend tests estimated change in self-harm over time; descriptive statistics described characteristics associated with self-harm. Twelve-month repetition and long-term mortality were analysed using Cox proportional hazards models and controlled for age and gender.

There were 4841 self-harm presentations by 3270 people identified as homeless during the study period. Presentations increased after 2010 (IRR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.04–1.14, P < 0.001). People who experienced homelessness were more often men, White, aged under 54 years, with a history of previous self-harm and contact with psychiatric services. Risk of repetition was higher than in domiciled people (HR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.94–2.17, P < 0.001), as were all-cause mortality (HR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.32–1.59. P < 0.001) and mortality due to accidental causes (HR = 2.93, 95% CI 2.41–3.57, P < 0.001).

People who self-harm and experience homelessness have more complex needs and worse outcomes than those who are domiciled. Emergency department contact presents an opportunity to engage people experiencing homelessness with mental health, drug and alcohol, medical and housing services, as well as other sources of support.

Although research has identified a wide range of risk factors for suicidal behavior in prisoners, it does not establish who is most likely to act on their suicidal thoughts while incarcerated.

Self-report data were collected from a random sample of 1,203 adult men incarcerated across 15 prisons in Belgium, who represent 12% of all male prisoners nationwide.

One-third (33%) of participants reported having suicidal thoughts during their incarceration, of whom 26% attempted suicide in prison (9% of all prisoners). Factors independently associated with suicide attempt among prisoners with suicidal ideation were violent offending (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–5.23), in-prison drug use (aOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.25–4.22), exposure to suicidal behavior (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.04–3.68), and a lifetime history of nonsuicidal self-injury (aOR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.08–3.36). While related to suicidal thoughts, markers of psychiatric morbidity and aspects of the prison regime were not associated with the progression to suicide attempt.

Many prisoners who think about suicide do not attempt suicide while incarcerated. Factors associated with suicidal ideation are distinct from those that govern the transition to suicidal behavior. Our findings lend support to the hypothesis that behavioral disinhibition might act as a catalyst in the translation of suicidal thoughts into action.

In England suicide rates are highest in midlife (defined as age 40–59). Despite a strong link with suicide there has been little focus on self-harm in this age group.

To describe characteristics and treatment needs of people in midlife who present to hospital following self-harm.

Data from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England were used to examine rates over time and characteristics of men and women who self-harm in midlife. Data (2000–2013) were collected via specialist assessments or hospital records. Trends were assessed by negative binomial regression models. Comparative analysis used logistic regression models for binary outcomes. Repetition and suicide mortality were assessed by Cox proportional hazards models.

A quarter of self-harm presentations were made by people in midlife (n = 24 599, 26%). Incidence rates increased over time in men, especially after 2008 (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.12, P < 0.01), and were positively correlated with national suicide incidence rates (r = 0.52, P = 0.05). Rates in women remained relatively stable (IRR 1.00, 95% CI 1.00–1.02, P = 0.39) and were not correlated with suicide. Alcohol use, unemployment, housing and financial factors were more common in men; whereas indicators of poor mental health were more common in women. In men and women 12-month repetition was 25%, and during follow-up 2.8% of men and 1.2% of women died by suicide.

Self-harm in midlife represents a key target for intervention. Addressing underlying issues, alcohol use and economic factors may help prevent further self-harm and suicide.

K.H. and N.K. are members of the Department of Health's National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group. N.K. chaired the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline development group for the longer-term management of self-harm and the NICE Topic Expert Group which developed the quality standards for self-harm services. N.K. also chairs the NICE guideline committee for the management of depression. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) program was launched in 1997. Its goal is to build infrastructure to improve the well-being of older racial/ethnic minorities by identifying mechanisms to reduce health disparities.

Its primary objectives are to mentor faculty in research addressing the health of minority elders and to enhance the diversity of the workforce that conducts elder health research by prioritizing the mentorship of underrepresented diverse scholars.

Through 2015, 12 centers received RCMAR awards and provided pilot research funding and mentorship to 361 scholars, 70% of whom were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. A large majority (85%) of RCMAR scholars from longstanding centers continue in academic research. Another 5% address aging and other health disparities through nonacademic research and leadership roles in public health agencies.

Longitudinal, team-based mentoring, cross-center scholar engagement, and community involvement in scholar development are important contributors to RCMAR’s success.

Risk of self-harm and suicide is greatly increased in the period after discharge from psychiatric in-patient care.

To investigate the impact on suicide of a series of policy initiatives to enhance care in the immediate post-discharge period.

A time series analysis was based on 1997–2007 data from the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and from Hospital Episode Statistics for England.

There was no evidence of a reduced risk of suicide in the first 12 weeks following discharge in 2003–2007 compared with 1997–2002. In contrast, the relative risk of non-fatal self-harm in the 12 weeks after discharge declined. The risk ratio for self-harm (2003–2007 v. 1997–2002) at 0–1 week post-discharge was 0.86 (95% CI 0.80–0.92) and at 2–4 weeks it was 0.89 (95% CI 0.85–0.94).

These findings provide some support for the impact of recent policy changes on the risk of non-fatal self-harm in the immediate period after discharge from psychiatric in-patient care.

To determine whether the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System risk index adequately stratified a population of pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery according to the risk of developing surgical site infection (SSI).

A retrospective, case-control study.

An urban tertiary care children's hospital.

Patients who had a median sternotomy performed between January 1,1995, and December 31, 2003, were eligible for inclusion in the study. For all case patients, medical records were reviewed to verify that all patients met the case definition for SSI. Control subjects were chosen randomly from among all patients who underwent median sternotomy during the study period who did not develop SSI.

Thirty-eight patients with SSI and 172 patients without SSI were included. One hundred six patients (50%) were male. The median patient age was 4 months. The sensitivity of the NNIS risk index with cutoff scores of 0 to 1 and 2 to 3 was 20%. The distribution of patients with SSI for an NNIS risk index score of 0 was 0%; for a score of 1, 80%; for a score of 2, 20%; and for a score of 3, 0%. The distribution of patients without SSI for a scores of 0 was 4%; for a score of 1, 87%; for a score of 2, 9%; and for a score of 3, 0%. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the original NNIS risk index was 0.57. The modified risk indices did not perform significantly better, with an AUC range of 0.58 to 0.73.

The NNIS risk index did not adequately stratify pediatric patients undergoing median sternotomy according to their risk of developing an SSI. Various modifications to the risk index yielded only slightly higher AUC values.

Repetition of deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a risk factor for suicide. Little information is available on the risk for specific groups of people who deliberately harm themselves repeatedly.

To investigate the long-term risk of suicide associated with repetition of DSH by gender, age and frequency of repetition.

A mortality follow-up study to the year 2000 was conducted on 11583 people who presented to the general hospital in Oxford between 1978 and 1997. Repetition of DSH was determined from reported episodes prior to the index episode and episodes presenting to the same hospital during the follow-up period. Deaths were identified through national registers.

Thirty-nine percent of patients repeated the DSH. They were at greater relative risk of suicide than the single-episode DSH group (2.24; 95% CI 1.77–2.84). The relative risk of suicide in the repeated DSH group compared with the single-episode DSH group was greater in females (3.5; 95% C11.3–2.4) than males (1.8; 95% C1 2.3–5.3) and was inversely related to age (up to 54 years). Suicide risk increased further with multiple repeat episodes of DSH in females.

Repetition of DSH is associated with an increased risk of suicide in males and females. Repetition may be a better indicator of risk in females, especially young females.

The death of the Princess of Wales in 1997 was followed by widespread public mourning. Such major events may influence suicidal behaviour.

To assess the impact of the Princess's death on suicide and deliberate self-harm (DSH).

Analysis, using Poisson regression, of the number of suicides and open verdicts (suicides’) in England and Wales following the Princess's death compared to the 3 months beforehand, and the equivalent periods in 1992–1996. Similar analysis on DSH presentations to a general hospital.

Suicides increased during the month following the Princess's funeral (+ 17.4%). This was particularly marked in females (+33.7%), especially those aged 25–44 years (+45.1%). Suicides did not fall in the week between the death and the funeral. Presentations for DSH increased significantly during the week following the death (+44.3%), especially in females (+65.1%). Examination of case notes suggested that the influence of the death was largely through amplification of personal losses or exacerbation of existing distress.

The death of a major public figure can influence rates of suicidal behaviour. For DSH, the impact may be immediate, but for suicide it may be delayed.