RISE looks at recent headlines concerning social determinants of health (SDoH).
Study: 3 of 5 youth deaths by suicide had no previous mental health diagnosis
Life-threatening mental health issues are going undetected among youth, according to a new study published by JAMA Network Open, which found that the majority of youths who died by suicide had no previous diagnosis of mental health issues.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among youths in the U.S., and, given the known association between mental health disorders and increased suicide risk, a better understanding of the sociodemographic differences in documented mental health diagnoses could help guide prevention efforts, explained the research team behind the study.
To better understand this association between youth suicides and having a documented mental health diagnosis, the researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Violent Death Reporting System to conduct a cross-sectional study of American youths aged 10 to 24 who died by suicide between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021.
The research team found that of the 40,618 youth suicides, more than half, a total of 24,192 (59.6 percent), had no previously documented mental health diagnosis. A total of 19,027 (46.8 percent) died by firearm suicide.
Additional findings include:
- Most suicides occurred at home (64.8 percent), and the most common precipitating circumstances were intimate partner problems (25.2 percent) and family relationship problems (13.3 percent).
- The odds of having a documented mental health diagnosis were lower among racially and ethnically minoritized youths and among youths who used firearms.
- The highest rate of mental health diagnosis was among white youths (42.8 percent), whereas the lowest rate was among American Indian or Alaska Native youths (28.0 percent). The rate was also low among Hispanic youths (36.7 percent) in comparison.
- More than half of female youths had a mental health diagnosis (52.4 percent) compared to male youths (37.3 percent).
“We discovered that certain youth who died by suicide were less likely to have a documented mental health diagnosis, including those who used firearms, were of minoritized race or ethnicity, males, and children younger than 14 years of age,” said study co-author Jennifer Hoffmann, M.D., MS, emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a statement. “Our findings point to the critical need to increase equitable access to mental health screening, diagnosis, and treatment for all youth.”
The findings underscore the critical need for youth suicide prevention strategies, urged the researchers, who suggested prevention strategies including early identification of mental health concerns, equitable access to mental health services, and universal lethal means counseling.
HHS invests $68M to improve HIV care for women and children
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced this week $68 million in funding through HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to provide family-centered medical care and essential support services for women with low incomes, infants, children, and youth with HIV.
“We know that many women with HIV continue to face barriers accessing HIV care and treatment, including stigma and lack of social support,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson in a statement. “Through this funding, community-based organizations across the country will deliver lifesaving, culturally responsive HIV care to help women with HIV access the health care they need and live long, healthy lives.”
In 2022, more than 142,000 women received services from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program—representing a quarter of all clients in the Program. Additionally, 89.9 percent of female clients receiving Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program medical care reached viral suppression—meaning they cannot sexually transmit HIV to other people and can live long, healthy lives.
American Diabetes Association, CVS partner in maternal health initiative
The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) and the CVS Health Foundation announced this week a new collaboration aimed toward improving maternal health outcomes and addressing gaps in care for women with gestational diabetes (GDM) in New York City.
The CVS Health Foundation will invest $500,000 in funding for the initiative to strengthen and expand maternal health services for organizations that are part of the ADA’s Women’s Health Initiative to support patients in the New York City community.
"We are excited about participating in this next phase of the ADA's Women's Health Initiative, supported by the CVS Health Foundation, where we will focus our work on strengthening prenatal screening and referral for the people we serve who are at high risk for or have been diagnosed with GDM,” said Ralph Ruggiero, M.D., FACOG, FACS, chairman and residency program director, department of obstetrics & gynecology at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, in a statement. “This program will also enable our community health workers and doulas to reach deeper into our community to support patient navigation and promote the importance of postpartum screenings and treatment.”