Hanging suicides in northern Finland : A descriptive epidemiological study

The authors examined all hanging-suicides during 1988-2013 (N=851) in the province of Oulu, northern Finland. Using death-certificate data and ICD-diagnoses from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register, we focused on gender differences in suicide, mental health, and somatic health. Male victims were more likely to have intoxication or problematic alcohol use; female victims were more likely to have somatic or mental hospitalization. Previous physical or mental hospitalization was related with absence of intoxication at the time of suicide. Suicide prevention should focus on acute alcohol abuse in the presence of acute stressors, suicidal thoughts and mental illness.Peer reviewe

The impact of adverse childhood experiences on obesity and unhealthy weight control behaviors among adolescents

Background: Childhood abuse and other early-life stressors associate with being overweight or obese later in life. In addition to being overweight, unhealthy weight control behaviors (e.g., vomiting, using diet pills, fasting, and skipping meals) have been shown to be common among adolescents. To our knowledge, the association between these behaviors and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) remains unexamined. Methods: We examined the association of ACEs to body mass index (BMI) and unhealthy weight control behaviors among 449 Finnish adolescents aged 12 to 17 years admitted to an acute psychiatric hospital unit between April 2001 and March 2006. We used the Schedule for AffeCtive Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) and the European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI) to obtain information about ACEs, psychiatric diagnoses and weight control behaviors. BMI was calculated using the weight and height measured for each adolescent upon admission. Results: Girls who experienced sexual abuse were more likely to be obese (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1-6.4) and demonstrate extreme weight loss behaviors (EWLB) (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.0-4.7). Among girls, parental unemployment is associated with an increased likelihood of obesity (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.2-9.6) and of being underweight (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 1.1-11.6). A proneness for excessively exercising was found among girls who had witnessed domestic violence (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.4-9.2) and whose parent(s) had died (OR: 5.4; 95% CI: 1.1-27.7). Conclusion: This study showed that female adolescents with a history of traumatic experiences or difficult family circumstances exhibited an elevated likelihood of being obese and engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Borderline personality disorder associates with violent criminality in women : A population based follow-up study of adolescent psychiatric inpatients in Northern Finland

Various psychiatric problems in adolescence and early adulthood have been shown to associate with criminal behaviour. In this study the association of personality disorders (PDs) with criminal behaviour was examined in adolescents treated in psychiatric hospitals. The study sample consisted of 508 adolescents (age 13-17) admitted to acute psychiatric impatient care between April 2001 and March 2006. Crime data was obtained from the Finnish Legal Register Centre on September 2013. The Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) was used to assess psychiatric diagnoses in adolescence. The information on PDs in early adulthood was based on follow-up information on psychiatric treatments in either out-or inpatient settings until the end of 2012, and was extracted from the National Care Register for Health Care provided by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare. A total of 22 (39%) of the 57 subjects with PD had committed a crime. In women, the likelihood for violent criminality was significantly increased in those with Borderline PD (OR 6.09, CI 1.24-29.84, p = 0.009) and was also associated with conduct disorder (OR 4.26, CI 1.38-13.19, p = 0.012), child welfare placement (OR 11.82, CI 3.61-38.76, p <0.001) and parent's substance use disorder (OR 7.74, CI 2.30-26.10, p = 0.001). In men, no association was observed between PD and any kind of criminal behaviour. Significant predictors for violent criminality in males were conduct disorder (OR 4.05, CI 1.75-9.38, p = 0.001), substance use disorder (OR 2.51, CI 1.22-5.17, p = 0.012) and special services at school (OR 2.58, CI 1.16-5.76, p = 0.021). Females with Borderline PD showed an increased risk for violent offending. This suggests Borderline PD as a potential explanatory factor for violent assaults by females and highlights the importance of recognizing the risk for violence in young women with a Borderline PD. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Reproductive health outcomes among eating disordered females: a register-based follow-up study among former adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Objective To analyze an association of eating disorders (EDs) to reproductive health outcomes among former adolescent psychiatric inpatients, hospitalized between the ages 13 and 17 years. The register-based follow-up information on psychiatric comorbidity and use of prescribed addictive psychotropic medication up to early adulthood were also explored. Methods A total of 31 (10.3%) women with a diagnosed ED were identified from the initial sample of 300 female adolescents, treated in psychiatric inpatient care between 2001 and 2006. The K-SADS-PL and EuropASI research instruments were used to gather information during the adolescent psychiatric hospitalization. The follow-up data for reproductive health outcomes and psychiatric comorbidity up to early adulthood were obtained from the national health care registers. Information on prescribed addictive psychotropic medication was provided by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In analyses, EDs were categorized into anorexia nervosa (AN) and other EDs (OED). AN accounted for 58.1% of all EDs. Of OEDs, the majority (69.1%) were bulimia. Results None of the women with AN, but 53.8% of those with OED had undergone medical abortions by early adulthood. Childbirths were emphasized in women with OED (61.5%) and a history of hospital-treated poisonings in women with AN (55.6%). High nicotine dependence in adolescence (30.8%) was a characteristic of women with OED. Conclusion Our study findings suggest that OED may expose affected women to various unfavorable reproductive health outcomes, particularly women with a history of psychiatric admissions. Recognizing the differences in young women with different subtypes of ED is important when discussing contraception and pregnancy

Familial risk factors in relation to recurrent depression among former adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Abstract Treating recurrent depression is a challenge for clinical practitioners. We investigated which family environmental factors contribute to differences between recurrent and non-recurrent depression by the young adulthood of the former adolescent inpatients. The initial sample covered 237 adolescent psychiatric inpatients with depression, of which 35.4% had later diagnosed with recurrent depression. Recurrence in depression was associated to distant maternal relationships in both male (p = 0.022) and female patients (p = 0.042). In females, the likelihood for recurrent depression was also related to psychiatric problems of the father (p = 0.013) and siblings (OR = 3.7, p = 0.032), and having a grand multiparous mother (p = 0.005). Our results emphasise the need for effective family-centred approaches in treatment of adolescents with depression

Associations of adolescent psychosocial factors to later benzodiazepine use:a population-based follow-up study of adolescent psychiatric inpatients in Northern Finland

Abstract We investigated factors associated with benzodiazepine (BZD) use during late adolescence and early adulthood. The study population consisted of 508 adolescents admitted to psychiatric inpatient care between April 2001 and March 2006. Information on adolescents’ family- and school-related factors, suicidality and psychiatric disorders were obtained by semistructured interviews. Data on BZD prescriptions from 1999 to 2012 were collected from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In males heavy BZD use associated with adolescent substance-use disorder (OR, 3.5; P &lt; 0.004) and parents’ psychiatric problems (OR, 3.5; P = 0.029). Among females, conduct disorder (OR, 3.3; P = 0.016), being a bully/bully-victim (OR, 3.3; P = 0.019) and parental substance-use problems (OR, 2.6; P = 0.024) were related to heavy BZD use. The mean (±SD) age of first BZD prescription was significantly lower in heavy, compared with mild users (men: 19.3 ± 2.5 vs. 21.0 ± 2.5 years, P = 0.027; women: 19.7 ± 2.6 vs. 21.5 ± 3.4 years, P = 0.027). Heavy, compared with mild, BZD use is associated with female suicide attempts (OR, 5.0; P = 0.049). Physicians should be cautious when prescribing BZDs to young adults and must allocate treatment to those with carefully evaluated clinical indications

Sex-specific predictors of exposure to hospital-treated assaults among former adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Abstract This study examined the associations of psychiatric disorders, suicidal behavior and family-related characteristics during adolescence, to subsequent experiences of hospital-treated physical, or sexual assaults, among 508 young adults with a history of psychiatric inpatient care at adolescence (aged 13–17 years). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) based adolescent psychiatric disorders were assessed at index hospitalization using Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age children, Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). Treatment episodes for assaults were obtained from the health care register, provided by the Finnish National Institute for Health Welfare. About 14.4% of the participants had experienced physical or sexual assault during their lifetime. Results of logistic regression analysis indicated that anxiety disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 9.6) and nonsuicidal self-injury (OR = 3.7) in adolescence for males, and personality disorder (OR = 3.4) for females, were associated with increased likelihood for subsequent assault exposure leading to hospitalization. These findings can be used in targeting vulnerable adolescents and designing primary prevention strategies