An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is significantly associated with increased risk of depressive disorder (DD) and may also correlate with suicide risk among individuals with DD, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the November issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer.

The latest issues of four American Psychiatric Association journals (The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice) are now available online.

Adults who experience a head injury face a substantially higher risk (21% relative risk) of attempting suicide compared to those without such injuries, according to the findings from a new UK-based study published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

A decline in religious participation among middle-aged, less educated white Americans may have played a role in the widely noted increases in “deaths of despair,” a new study finds. Researchers found that states that had the largest declines in churchgoing from 1985 to 2000 also had larger increases in death by drug overdoses, suicide and alcoholic liver disease – what have been called deaths of despair.

The old proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” also applies to preventing youth suicide, according to UBC Okanagan researchers who found that community support is essential.

In Canada, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among children under 14 and the second for youth and young adults between 15 and 34 years old. The UBCO Faculty of Health and Social Development researchers say governments, schools and community agencies need to rethink how youth suicide prevention efforts are designed.

A new study reveals that 16% of teens exposed to both phases of the Russo-Ukrainian war experience symptoms of PTSD compared to 1% of non-exposed teens, and more than 10% experience severe depressive symptoms compared to 3% of non-exposed peers. Adolescents exposed to both phases of war also reported significantly higher levels of suicide attempts. More than 10% of adolescents attempted suicide compared to 4% of non-exposed peers.