The association between reattempted suicide and incoming calls to the brief contact intervention service, VigilanS: a study of the clinical profile of callers

Abstract Background Suicide is a major health problem globally. As attempted suicide is a major risk factor for suicide, specific prevention strategies have been designed for use thereafter. An example is the brief contact intervention (BCI). In this regard, France employs a composite BCI, VigilanS, which utilizes three types of contact: phone calls, postcards and a ‘who to contact in a crisis’ card. Previous studies have found that this system is effective at preventing suicide. Nevertheless, VigilanS was not effective in the same way for all the patients included. This observation raises the question of specific adaptation during follow-up for populations that were less receptive to the service. In consideration of this issue, we identified one study which found that incoming calls to the service were linked with a higher risk of suicide reattempts. However, this study did not document the profiles of the patients who made these calls. Better understanding of why this population is more at risk is important in terms of identifying factors that could be targeted to improve follow-up. This research therefore aims to bring together such data. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 579 patients referred to VigilanS by Toulouse University Hospital (France). We examined the sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and follow-ups in place and compared the patients who made incoming calls to the service versus those who did not. Subsequently, we conducted a regression analysis using the significantly associated element of patients calling VigilanS. Then, in order to better understand this association, we analyzed the factors, including such calls, that were linked to the risk of suicide reattempts. Results We found that 22% of the patients in our sample called the VigilanS service. These individuals: were older, at 41.4 years versus 37.9 years for the non-callers; were more likely to have a borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis (28.9% versus 19.3%); and had a history of suicide attempts (71.9% versus 54.6%). Our analysis confirmed that incoming calls to VigilanS (OR = 2.9) were associated with reattempted suicide, as were BPD (OR = 1.8) and a history of suicide attempts (OR = 1.7). Conclusion There was a high risk that the patients calling VigilanS would make another suicide attempt. However, this association was present regardless of the clinical profile. We postulate that this link between incoming calls and reattempted suicide may arise because this form of contact is, in fact, a way in which patients signal that a further attempt will be made

Multi-scale datasets for monitoring Mediterranean oak forests from optical remote sensing during the SENTHYMED/MEDOAK experiment in the north of Montpellier (France)

International audienceMediterranean forests represent critical areas that are increasingly affected by the frequency of droughts and fires, anthropic activities and land use changes. Optical remote sensing data give access to several essential biodiversity variables, such as species traits (related to vegetation biophysical and biochemical composition), which can help to better understand the structure and functioning of these forests. However, their reliability highly depends on the scale of observation and the spectral configuration of the sensor. Thus, the objective of the SENTHYMED/MEDOAK experiment is to provide datasets from leaf to canopy scale in synchronization with remote sensing acquisitions obtained from multi-platform sensors having different spectral characteristics and spatial resolutions. Seven monthly data collections were performed between April and October 2021 (with a complementary one in June 2023) over two forests in the north of Montpellier, France, comprised of two oak endemic species with different phenological dynamics (evergreen: Quercus ilex and deciduous: Quercus pubescens) and a variability of canopy cover fractions (from dense to open canopy). These collections were coincident with satellite multispectral Sentinel-2 data and one with airborne hyperspectral AVIRIS-Next Generation data. In addition, satellite hyperspectral PRISMA and DESIS were also available for some dates. All these airborne and satellite data are provided from free online download websites. Eight datasets are presented in this paper from thirteen studied forest plots: (1) overstory and understory inventory, (2) 687 canopy plant area index from Li-COR plant canopy analyzers, (3) 1475 in situ spectral reflectances (oak canopy, trunk, grass, limestone, etc.) from ASD spectroradiometers, (4) 92 soil moistures and temperatures from IMKO and Campbell probes, (5) 747 leaf-clip optical data from SPAD and DUALEX sensors, (6) 2594 in-lab leaf directional-hemispherical reflectances and transmittances from ASD spectroradiometer coupled with an integrating sphere, (7) 747 in-lab measured leaf water and dry matter content, and additional leaf traits by inversion of the PROSPECT model and (8) UAV-borne LiDAR 3-D point clouds. These datasets can be useful for multi-scale and multi-temporal calibration/validation of high level satellite vegetation products such as species traits, for current and future imaging spectroscopic missions, and by fusing or comparing both multispectral and hyperspectral data. Other targeted applications can be forest 3-D modelling, biodiversity assessment, fire risk prevention and globally vegetation monitoring