Effect of Community-based Intervention Using Depression Screening on Elderly Suicide Risk: a Meta-analysis of the Evidence from Japan

Overview

Journal Community Ment Health J

Specialty Health Services

Date 2008 Mar 26

PMID 18363103

Citations 24

Authors

Hirofumi Oyama

Tomoe Sakashita

Yutaka Ono

Masahiro Goto

Motoi Fujita

Junichi Koida

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A systematic review was undertaken to quantify the effect of community-based depression screening (CDS) with follow-up on the completed suicide risk for residents aged 65 and over. Five quasi-experimental studies in Japanese regions with high suicide rates were included in the meta-analysis. Combined incidence rate ratios (95% confidence intervals) by the Mantel-Haenszel method and by the DerSimonian-Laird method in two homogenous studies implementing the follow-up conducted by psychiatrists were 0.30 (0.13-0.68) and 0.33 (0.14-0.80) in men, and 0.33 (0.19-0.58) and 0.33 (0.19-0.60) in women, respectively; and those in three homogenous studies implementing the follow-up conducted by general practitioners were 0.73 (0.45-1.18) and 0.74 (0.45-1.23) in men, and 0.36 (0.21-0.60) and 0.39 (0.22-0.66) in women, respectively. There are very few studies included, however, to demonstrate an association between CDS and the reduced risk, suggesting gender difference in the effectiveness.

Citing Articles

A scientometric analysis and visualisation of elderly suicide research from 1951 to 2022.

Palanbek Yavas S, Baysan C Psychogeriatrics. 2024; 24(4):811-821.

PMID: 38627605 PMC: 11578017. DOI: 10.1111/psyg.13124.

Are we Using the Right Evidence to Inform Suicide Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? An Umbrella Review.

Itua I, Shah K, Galway P, Chaudhry F, Georgiadi T, Rastogi J Arch Suicide Res. 2024; 29(1):290-308.

PMID: 38480516 PMC: 11809771. DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2024.2322144.

A Pilot Randomized Trial of Engage Psychotherapy to Increase Social Connection and Reduce Suicide Risk in Later Life.

Van Orden K, Arean P, Conwell Y Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021; 29(8):789-800.

PMID: 33952416 PMC: 8286301. DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.03.009.

Analysing the Impacts of Financial Support for Regional Suicide Prevention Programmes on Suicide Mortality Caused by Major Suicide Motives in Japan Using Statistical Government Data.

Nakano T, Hasegawa T, Okada M Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(7).

PMID: 33806105 PMC: 8036759. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073414.

Analysing regional unemployment rates, GDP per capita and financial support for regional suicide prevention programme on suicide mortality in Japan using governmental statistical data.

Okada M, Hasegawa T, Kato R, Shiroyama T BMJ Open. 2020; 10(8):e037537.

PMID: 32859665 PMC: 7454243. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037537.

References

DerSimonian R, Laird N . Meta-analysis in clinical trials. Control Clin Trials. 1986; 7(3):177-88. DOI: 10.1016/0197-2456(86)90046-2. View

ZUNG W . A SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1965; 12:63-70. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1965.01720310065008. View

Oxman A, Cook D, Guyatt G . Users' guides to the medical literature. VI. How to use an overview. Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. JAMA. 1994; 272(17):1367-71. DOI: 10.1001/jama.272.17.1367. View

Begg C, Mazumdar M . Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Biometrics. 1994; 50(4):1088-101. View

Oyama H, Ono Y, Watanabe N, Tanaka E, Kudoh S, Sakashita T . Local community intervention through depression screening and group activity for elderly suicide prevention. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006; 60(1):110-4. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2006.01468.x. View

Oyama H, Watanabe N, Ono Y, Sakashita T, Takenoshita Y, Taguchi M . Community-based suicide prevention through group activity for the elderly successfully reduced the high suicide rate for females. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2005; 59(3):337-44. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01379.x. View

Oyama H, Goto M, Fujita M, Shibuya H, Sakashita T . Preventing elderly suicide through primary care by community-based screening for depression in rural Japan. Crisis. 2006; 27(2):58-65. DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910.27.2.58. View

Egger M, Davey Smith G, Schneider M, Minder C . Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. BMJ. 1997; 315(7109):629-34. PMC: 2127453. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629. View

Mann J, Apter A, Bertolote J, Beautrais A, Currier D, Haas A . Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. JAMA. 2005; 294(16):2064-74. DOI: 10.1001/jama.294.16.2064. View

10.

Ono Y, Tanaka E, Oyama H, Toyokawa K, Koizumi T, Shinohe K . Epidemiology of suicidal ideation and help-seeking behaviors among the elderly in Japan. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001; 55(6):605-10. DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00912.x. View

11.

Kaneko Y, Motohashi Y, Sasaki H, Yamaji M . Prevalence of depressive symptoms and related risk factors for depressive symptoms among elderly persons living in a rural Japanese community: a cross-sectional study. Community Ment Health J. 2007; 43(6):583-90. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-007-9096-5. View

12.

Robins J, Breslow N, Greenland S . Estimators of the Mantel-Haenszel variance consistent in both sparse data and large-strata limiting models. Biometrics. 1986; 42(2):311-23. View

13.

JACOBS D . Depression screening as an intervention against suicide. J Clin Psychiatry. 1999; 60 Suppl 2:42-5; discussion 51-2, 113-6. View

14.

Duberstein P, Conwell Y, Conner K, Eberly S, Evinger J, Caine E . Poor social integration and suicide: fact or artifact? A case-control study. Psychol Med. 2005; 34(7):1331-7. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291704002600. View

15.

Conwell Y, Duberstein P, Cox C, Herrmann J, Forbes N, Caine E . Relationships of age and axis I diagnoses in victims of completed suicide: a psychological autopsy study. Am J Psychiatry. 1996; 153(8):1001-8. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.153.8.1001. View

16.

Oyama H, Koida J, Sakashita T, Kudo K . Community-based prevention for suicide in elderly by depression screening and follow-up. Community Ment Health J. 2004; 40(3):249-63. DOI: 10.1023/b:comh.0000026998.29212.17. View

17.

OConnell H, Chin A, Cunningham C, Lawlor B . Recent developments: suicide in older people. BMJ. 2004; 329(7471):895-9. PMC: 523116. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.329.7471.895. View

18.

GREENFIELD S, Reizes J, Magruder K, Muenz L, Kopans B, JACOBS D . Effectiveness of community-based screening for depression. Am J Psychiatry. 1997; 154(10):1391-7. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.154.10.1391. View

19.

Oyama H, Fujita M, Goto M, Shibuya H, Sakashita T . Outcomes of community-based screening for depression and suicide prevention among Japanese elders. Gerontologist. 2006; 46(6):821-6. DOI: 10.1093/geront/46.6.821. View

20.

Rutz W, von Knorring L, Pihlgren H, Rihmer Z, Walinder J . Prevention of male suicides: lessons from Gotland study. Lancet. 1995; 345(8948):524. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(95)90622-3. View