Suicide rates in Maltese Islands (1955-2009) analysed in European context using WHO data

Aim: To calculate the suicide rates (for males and females) in Malta and other European countries with long series of suicide mortality as recorded in the WHO (World Health Organization) database, and compare the Maltese suicide rates with European rates. Method: Suicide rates were computed from the WHO database as rates (suicides per 100,000 persons) using the reported suicide and population counts in Malta and ten other European countries for a common period 1955-2009. Suicide rates were age standardized following the WHO recommendations. These calculations were carried out separately for both sexes. Results: Compared to other European counties, the suicide rates (both male and female) in Malta have remained at considerably low level as calculated over the full period. Maltese suicide rates have however multiplied since the 1980s. European data exhibit clear decrease in suicide rates towards the present consistently in several countries. Malta is the only European country showing its highest suicide rates during the 2000s. Conclusions: Although the suicide rates in Malta remain at considerably low level, they have exhibited a notable increase towards the present, whereas the European suicide rates are in decline. Becoming aware of this fact and the issue may help in building a suicide prevention programme to mitigate the situation.peer-reviewe

Potilastyössä tapahtuneiden väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteiden ilmoittamisen merkitys röntgenosastolle

Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiirissä (HUS) väkivaltatilanteita ilmoitetaan 1200–1600 tapausta vuodessa. Vuonna 2010 HUS-Röntgenissä ilmoitettiin 23 väkivalta- ja uhkatilannetta, joissa yleisimmin tekijänä oli potilas. Röntgenhoitajiin kohdistuva väkivalta on yleisimmin henkistä. Väkivalta voi olla myös fyysistä, kuten tönimistä, potkimista, lyömistä tai liikkumisen rajoittamista. Väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteista tulee aina tehdä ilmoitus, jonka avulla röntgenhoitaja tuo esille tilanteiden todellisen määrän ja näin väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteita pystytään seuraamaan. Ilmoituksen avulla röntgenhoitaja antaa mahdollisuuden ennaltaehkäistä väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteita ja parantaa henkilöturvallisuutta. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoituksena on tuoda ilmi, mikä merkitys poikkeamailmoituksen tekemisellä on röntgenhoitajan näkökulmasta. Haluamme tuoda esille, mitkä ovat röntgenhoitajien ilmoituskäytännöt sekä miten työturvallisuutta ja -ympäristöä voitaisiin kehittää Jorvin röntgenissä. Toteutimme määrällisen selvityksemme kyselylomakkeen avulla kesällä 2011. Kyselylomakkeessa oli strukturoituja sekä avoimia kysymyksiä. Kysely oli suunnattu 35:lle Jorvin röntgenin röntgenhoitajalle (n=27). Selvitysaineistoa analysoitiin PASW Statistics -ohjelman, kuvailevien menetelmien ja sisällönanalyysin avulla. Tuloksista selvisi, että Jorvin röntgenissä osataan tehdä poikkeamailmoituksia melko hyvin, mutta röntgenhoitajien valmiuksia niiden tekemiseen olisi hyvä vielä kehittää. Turvallisuuskoulutuksen sisältöön kaivattiin enemmän tietoa väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteiden riskeistä sekä niiden tunnistamisesta. Jorvin röntgenin työturvallisuutta ja -ympäristöä voitaisiin parantaa kehittämällä etenkin hälytysjärjestelmää. Selvityksemme tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää Jorvin röntgenissä väkivalta- ja uhkatilanteiden ennaltaehkäisyn parantamisessa sekä lisäämällä röntgenhoitajien valmiuksia poikkeamailmoituksien tekemiseen. Työmme lisää röntgenhoitajien tietämystä ilmoitusprosessista ja sen merkityksestä. Opinnäytetyömme tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää myös muissakin työyksiköissä.The Importance of the Notification of the Violent and Threaten-ing Situations in Patient Work in an X-ray Department. 1,200–1,600 cases of violence per year have been reported in the Hospital district of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS). In the year 2010, there were 23 violent and threatening situations in the x-ray departments in HUS where it was mostly the patient who was violent. The patients use mostly emotional abuse with the radiographers. Violence can be also physical such as pushing, kicking, hitting and limiting the radiographer`s movement. The radiographer must always notificate the incident. By notificating, the radiographer brings out the real number of the situations and they can be followed. This gives an opportunity to prevent violent and threatening situations and improves staff security. The purpose of our final project was to bring out the importance of making the deviation statement from the perspective of the radiographer. In our account, we want to bring out radiographers` notification practices and also how to improve the safetyness in the Jorvi`s x-ray department. We implement our quantitative study with the help of a survey in summer 2011. There were multiple-choice and open questions in our survey. The survey was directed to the 35 radiographers in the Jorvi`s x-ray department. We received 27 answers. Answers were analyzed with the PASW Statistics -programme and content analysis. The result was that radiographers can make deviation statement rather well in the Jorvi`s x-ray department. Radiographers‘ preparedness could still be improved. According to the results, safetytraining needs more information on the risks and indentification of the violent and threatening situations. Jorvi`s x-ray department needs a better alarm system. The results can be used to improve the prevention of violent and threatening situations. They can also be used to increase the radiographers` capabilities in making deviation statement in the Jorvi`s x-ray department. Our final project produced more information on the notification process and its meaning to the radiographers. The results can be used also in other x-ray departments

Suicide mortality in European countries and Post-Soviet states since 1955: Illustrating the longtime trends and patterns of recent changes

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PRKCDBP (CAVIN3) and CRY2 associate with major depressive disorder

Peer reviewe

Trajectories of mental health before and after old-age and disability retirement : a register-based study on purchases of psychotropic drugs

WOS:000308570400003OBJECTIVES: Retirement from paid work is a major life event facing increasingly large numbers of people in the coming years. We examined trajectories of mental health five years before and five years after old-age and disability retirement using data on purchases of psychotropic drugs. METHODS: The study included all employees from the City of Helsinki, Finland, retiring between 2000-2008 due to old age (N=4456) or disability (N=2549). Purchases of psychotropic drugs were analyzed in 20 3-month intervals before and after retirement using graphical methods and growth curve models. RESULTS: Old-age retirement was unrelated to purchases of psychotropic drugs. Among disability retirees, psychotropic medication tripled before retirement. The average increase was 0.95 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.73-1.16] daily defined doses (DDD) 5-1.5 years before retirement; from 1.5 years until retirement it was 5.68 DDD (95% CI 5.33-6.03) for each 3-month interval. After disability retirement, purchases of antidepressants decreased on average by 0.40 DDD (95% CI 0.57-0.23) for each 3-month interval, those of hypnotics and sedatives increased by 0.30 DDD (95% CI 0.12-0.47), and no changes were seen for other psychotropic drugs. The changes before and after retirement were largest among those who retired due to mental disorders and those whose retirement had been granted as temporary. CONCLUSIONS: While no overall decrease in psychotropic medication after retirement was observed, purchases of antidepressants decreased after disability retirement. Long-term trajectories suggest that disability retirement might be prevented if mental health problems were tackled more efficiently earlier in the pre-retirement period.Peer reviewe

A new national suicide prevention programme in Finland

Suicide prevention requires enhancing the efficiency of current activities and the introduction of new approaches. Therefore, a new suicide prevention programme has been put into action, starting this year. Its key message is the following: 1) the attitudes of those encountering persons who have attempted suicide must be transformed to ensure that no one who has attempted suicide is blamed or perceived as only seeking attention; 2) the availability of suicide methods and equipment for suicide must be reduced; 3) low-threshold crisis services must be available everywhere in Finland, and information must be provided on these to ensure that every resident knows where to find the services in their area and how to reach them; 4) access to treatment will be facilitated and accelerated by prioritising the treatment of a person at suicide risk, as well as by paying attention and providing support to the loved ones of those who died by suicide, since early support for individuals with a difficult life situation and during crises can prevent problems from getting worse and may also prevent suicides; 5) the severity of suicide risk among intoxicated people or those with substance abuse or addiction issues is assessed similarly as with anyone else at suicide risk; 6) competence in the media in communicating about suicides may promote suicide prevention, as positive suicide attempt survivor stories may help people find help in a difficult situation, and 7) there is a need for topical statistical data on different age group and risk groups related to suicides, suicide attempts, access to treatment, quality of care and early support

Common Genetic Variation Near Melatonin Receptor 1A Gene Linked to Job-Related Exhaustion in Shift Workers

Study Objectives: Tolerance to shift work varies; only some shift workers suffer from disturbed sleep, fatigue, and job-related exhaustion. Our aim was to explore molecular genetic risk factors for intolerance to shift work. Methods: We assessed intolerance to shift work with job-related exhaustion symptoms in shift workers using the emotional exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, and carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using Illumina's Human610-Quad BeadChip (n = 176). The most significant findings were further studied in three groups of Finnish shift workers (n = 577). We assessed methylation in blood cells with the Illumina HumanMethylation450K BeadChip, and examined gene expression levels in the publicly available eGWAS Mayo data. Results: The second strongest signal identified in the GWAS (p = 2.3 x 10E-6) was replicated in two of the replication studies with p Conclusions: These findings suggest that a variant near MTNR1A may be associated with job-related exhaustion in shift workers. The risk variant may exert its effect via epigenetic mechanisms, potentially leading to reduced melatonin signaling in the brain. These results could indicate a link between melatonin signaling, a key circadian regulatory mechanism, and tolerance to shift work.Peer reviewe

Increase in eveningness and insufficient sleep among adults in population-based cross-sections from 2007 to 2017

Peer reviewe

Eveningness increases risks for depressive and anxiety symptoms and hospital treatments mediated by insufficient sleep in a population-based study of 18,039 adults

cited By 0Background Epidemiological data show that having the eveningness associates with poor mental health. For preventive measures it is important to know which underlying factors mediate these associations and the burden posed to public health. This study examines at a population-based level, whether (1) circadian type and the sleep-wake behavior-based phase entrainment similarly associate with mental health problems, (2) there are differences in hospital treatments due to mental disorders between chronotypes, and (3) the association of chronotype with mental health is mediated by insufficient sleep. Methods The study sample (N = 18,039) consisted of population-based sample of Finnish adults, aged 25-74 years, with information on their circadian type and sleep patterns, mental health symptoms, and diagnosis as reported in a health examination survey, as well as hospital treatments as recorded on the national Hospital Discharge Register. Results All the mental health symptoms, diagnoses and hospital treatments were more pronounced among Evening-types, especially when assessed by circadian type. Insufficient sleep mediated most but not all of the associations between eveningness and mental health. Conclusions Eveningness does not increase mental health risks only on symptom or diagnosis level, but also on hospital admission level. A higher prevalence of insufficient sleep among the Evening-types elevates the risk and severity for many of the mental health outcomes. Improving the sleep among Evening-types could help to improve their mental health prospective and ease the health care burden.Peer reviewe