Current awareness updates
Samaritans, October 2020 (This report finds that there is no consistently effective support available to people who self-harm. The research identified four key support needs for people who self-harm, which are seen as essential to providing effective care: distraction from immediate self-harm urges; emotional relief in times of stress; developing alternative coping strategies; and addressing the underlying reasons for self-harm. The report makes several recommendations for how the needs of people who self-harm can be met more effectively.)
Adaptation of evidence-based suicide prevention strategies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wasserman D. World Psychiatry 2020;19(3):294-306.
[While there is evidence indicating that suicide rates decrease during times of crises, they are expected to increase once the immediate crisis has passed. The scientific community, health care professionals, politicians and decision-makers will find in this paper a systematic description of the effects of the pandemic on suicide risk at the society, community, family and individual levels, and an overview of how evidence-based suicide preventive interventions should be adapted.]
The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scale: Development and psychometric properties.
Nikčević AV. Psychiatry Research 2020;292:113322.
[In Study 1, a community sample of 292 participants completed the newly developed COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS) and results were subjected to a Principal Components Analysis. In Study 2, a community sample of 426 participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the C-19ASS. The C-19ASS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. The implications of these findings are discussed.]
What should be done to support the mental health of healthcare staff treating COVID-19 patients? Tracy DK, Tarn M, Eldridge R, Cooke J, Calder JDF, Greenberg N.Br J Psychiatry. 2020 Oct;217(4):537-539
(There is an urgent need to provide evidence-based well-being and mental health support for front-line clinical staff managing the COVID-19 pandemic who are at risk of moral injury and mental illness. This article describes the evidence base for a tiered model of care, and practical steps on its implementation.)