Self-rated mental health or medication record predicts suicide?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Self-rated mental health or medication record? Which best predicts suicide in Northern Ireland
IRAS ID
200334
Contact name
Aideen Maguire
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's Univeristy Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Mental ill-health in Northern Ireland is a growing concern and a leading cause of disability worldwide. But accurately identifying people with poor mental health is difficult, and is not helped by the stigma surrounding mental illness. In order to understand what causes poor mental health we must first identify those with poor mental health. Recent studies, including those in Northern Ireland, have been using antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication use as an indicator of mental ill-health, but this has its limitations as not everyone with poor mental health receives medication and also these medicines can be prescribed for other physical ailments. The 2011 Census in Northern Ireland included a question which asked “Do you have any of the following conditions which have lasted, or are expected to last, at least 12 months?” which included identification of “an emotional, psychological or mental health condition (such as depression or schizophrenia)”. This is unique to Northern Ireland and was not asked in other UK censuses. We propose that this single question may be a more accurate indicator of poor mental health than prescribing alone, or using both may be a better indicator than just one.
We will look at the outcome of death by suicide, previously shown to be associated with poor mental health, to determine if medication record or self-report mental health or a combination of both is the best measure of poor mental health.
By identifying the most accurate indicator of poor mental health available we can utilize this to profile those at risk and further explore the factors associated with both poor and good mental health. In Northern Ireland there are approximately 300 deaths by suicide each year, and understanding the factors that may contribute to this may help inform policy around suicide prevention mental health.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0241
Date of REC Opinion
29 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion