Diego De Leo

Griffith University · Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention

Background: A comprehensive understanding of temporal trends in the disease burden in Australia is lacking, and these trends are required to inform health service planning and improve population health. We explored the burden and trends of diseases and their risk factors in Australia from 1990 to 2019 through a comprehensive analysis of the Global...

Background and aims Suicide risk assessment protocols have traditionally been developed by clinical or research experts in suicidology, with little formal involvement of those with a lived experience of suicide. This study broadly aimed to seek lived experience perspectives of the Systematic Tailored Assessment for Responding to Suicidality (STARS)...

Background: Death reporting is a delicate task. The ways in which it is carried out can have a significant impact on both the recipient and the notifier, especially in the event of a sudden, violent, and traumatic death. Empathetic, sensitive, and attentive communication with survivors can represent a first opportunity to support the bereavement p...

There are positives and negatives of using YouTube in terms of loneliness and mental health. YouTube’s streaming content is an amazing resource, however, there may be bias or errors in its recommendation algorithms. Parasocial relationships can also complicate the impact of YouTube use. Intervention may be necessary when problematic and risky conte...

Insecure attachment has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology and, consequently, for suicidal behavior. We aimed to highlight the relationship between the attachment styles of adolescents and their suicidal behavior and to investigate the role of each parent in the suicidality pathway of adolescents. The sample consisted o...

Background: The increasing use of digital mental health (DMH) platforms and digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) is hindered by uncertainty over effectiveness, quality and usability. There is a need to identify the types of available evidence in this domain. Aim: This study is a scoping review identifying evaluation of the (1) DMH platfor...

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustain...

Background Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustaina...

Background: Usually managed by trained volunteers, crisis helplines services are of primary importance in community care. However, literature has shown that volunteers may be exposed to a high risk of developing negative psychological consequences in relation to the service performed. Although there are numerous studies dedicated to the use of help...

Individuals bereaved by suicide experience substantial emotional distress and are at risk for poorer mental health, substance use concerns, and suicidal behaviors. This study aimed to explore whether those bereaved by suicide reported different coping styles compared to those bereaved by sudden death in the first six months. It also aimed to determ...

Accessibility issues and low rates of help-seeking hinder engagement with mental health resources and treatment. Pragmatic, (cost-)effective solutions are required to increase engagement with efficacious digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) including for hard-to-reach individuals. As an example, music-based interventions have been positively...

Background More than 3 billion people do not have access to clean energy and primarily use solid fuels to cook. Use of solid fuels generates household air pollution, which was associated with more than 2 million deaths in 2019. Although local patterns in cooking vary systematically, subnational trends in use of solid fuels have yet to be comprehens...

Background: Understanding the use of Systematic Tailored Assessment for Responding to Suicidality protocol (STARS-p) in practice by trained mental health practitioners over the longer- term is critical to informing further developments. The study aim was to examine practitioners' experiences of STARS-p and factors associated with its use in practi...

Background: The notification of unexpected and violent death represents a challenging experience for police officers and health workers. These professionals are exposed to very intense emotions during this task. Aim: We aimed to investigate the degree of preparation, and the emotions and attitudes of police officers and health professionals whil...

Mental health care remains a pillar of suicide prevention also in late, but the range of interventions should include attention to the many socio-environmental conditions that are relevant to this stage of life. Community programs that promote a sense of worthiness and belonging should be strongly encouraged in order to preserve personal identity a...

Suicide in old age is frequently considered the result of a rational decision. Accumulation of physical illnesses, frailty, dependence on others, loss of partner and loneliness are often seen as reasons that might justify suicidal acts. Depression is an important risk factor for suicidal behaviour even at very advanced age. However, ageistic views...

(1) Background: The loss of a significant person can be especially traumatic when death comes without warning and is due to causes such as suicide, murder and accidents. The way an individual is informed about the loss can affect the way of adapting to the loss and the quality of life of survivors. Communication modalities of the notifier may deepl...

Late-life suicide constitutes a serious public health problem. Globally, older adults experience very high suicide rates nearly everywhere. The aging process influences suicidal behavior by posing to individuals several different types of challenges, such as physical frailty, dependence, losses, etc., making of suicide in old age a phenomenon with...

Background Predicted increases in suicide were not generally observed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the picture may be changing and patterns might vary across demographic groups. We aimed to provide a timely, granular picture of the pandemic's impact on suicides globally. Methods We identified suicide data from official pu...

Human beings are social animals, and social psychiatry is a key discipline within psychiatry around the world. The impact of social factors on the genesis and perpetuation of mental illnesses and maintenance of well-being of individuals and families is well recognized. Exploring social factors is the key to understanding aetiology and developing th...

Human beings are social animals, and social psychiatry is a key discipline within psychiatry around the world. The impact of social factors on the genesis and perpetuation of mental illnesses and maintenance of well-being of individuals and families is well recognized. Exploring social factors is the key to understanding aetiology and developing th...

Introduction: Scout leaders are youth workers in close contact with children and adolescents, a vulnerable group for mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. They assume the role of an older sibling and the implemented activities facilitate development of close relationships. The leaders are sometimes trusted with personal problems by members...

Objective: Suicidality is a phenomenon, which does not fit into the traditional medical illness model. Working with suicidal clients requires unique approaches and is frequently referred to as one of the most demanding and anxiety-provoking aspects of therapeutic work. The aim of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of psychotherapist...

Objectives To use data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) to estimate mortality and disability trends for the population aged ≥70 and evaluate patterns in causes of death, disability, and risk factors. Design Systematic analysis. Setting Participants were aged ≥70 from 204 countries and terri...

Human-computer interaction (HCI) has contributed to the design and development of some efficient, user-friendly, cost-effective, and adaptable digital mental health solutions. But HCI has not been well-combined into technological developments resulting in quality and safety concerns. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) have a good po...

Background: . High-quality comprehensive data on short-/long-term physical/mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are needed. Methods: . The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is an international, multi-language (n=30) project involving >230 investigators from 49 countries/territories/re...

The Internet has become an essential tool for adolescents. It is part of their social integration within peers and supports their identity construction. The Internet can also become a source of addiction, especially when used as a coping strategy towards unpleasant life situations. Addiction to the Internet is often linked with an increase in the f...

Importance: Self-injury mortality (SIM) combines suicides and the preponderance of drug misuse-related overdose fatalities. Identifying social and environmental factors associated with SIM and suicide may inform etiologic understanding and intervention design. Objective: To identify factors associated with interstate SIM and suicide rate variati...

Background and Aims Systematic Tailored Assessment for Responding to Suicidality (STARS) protocol and associated training were developed with the key objectives of supporting clinicians to conduct a suicide enquiry, obtaining a comprehensive account of psycho-social factors contributing to suicidality, and collaboratively developing a safety plan w...

The aim of the present validation study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale. For this purpose, the factorial structure, internal consistency, cross-cultural, convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. The measure was translated and adapted to Slovenian context through a b...

Loneliness and suicidal ideation (SI) are relevant issues. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of death ideation (DI) and SI in the general population across four age groups and to determine the extent to which emotional and social loneliness are associated with SI. Data were collected via an online panel in Slovenia in February 2019 on a re...

Suicide is an important problem among older adults and in particular older men. Risk factors for suicide in older adults include the loss of a loved one, loneliness and physical illness. Suicide in older adults is often attributed to the development of depression due to bereavement or loss of physical health and independence. However, suicide preve...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted on healthcare services’ organization and healthcare workers’ mental health, increasing the risk of psychological symptoms and burnout. Italy has been one of the most affected countries, especially the northern regions, even with exceptions in some rural provinces. Aim: We chose to investigate...

Suicidal men feel the need to be self-reliant and that they cannot find another way out of relationship or socioeconomic issues. Suicide prevention is of crucial importance worldwide. The much higher rate of suicide in men engenders action. The prelude is a subjective experience that can be very isolating and severely distressing. Men may not reali...

Background . High-quality comprehensive data on short-/long-term physical/mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are needed. Methods . The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is an international, multi-language (n=30) project involving >230 investigators from 49 countries/territories/regi...

This qualitative study was conducted in critical care units and emergency services and was aimed at considering the death notification (DN) phenomenology among physicians (notifiers), patient relatives (receivers) and those who work between them (nurses). Through the qualitative method, a systemic perspective was adopted to recognise three differen...

Background The Pacific Islands have some of the highest rates of suicide in the Western Pacific region. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on suicidal behaviour in the Pacific Islands. Methods A comprehensive search of Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, CINAHL and Embase databases was conducted for all a...

This paper provides a broad discussion about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in Australia. The discussion examines the history of the VAD debate in Australia and whether public support for VAD and the arguments that have provided the framework for the VAD debate have evolved over time. This seems a prudent time to have such a discussion, given the v...

Suicide in old age represents a sad public health concern. Despite the global decline in rates of suicide and the general amelioration of quality of life and access to health care for older adults, their rates of suicide remain the highest virtually in every part of the world. With the aging of the world population and the growing number of mononuc...

BACKGROUND: Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex a...

Aim: An online survey was proposed to the health workers of a public hospital of an Italian northern city. This was done with the aim of assessing the unmet needs of a special population under strain (the health carers) due to the fight against the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Results: By answering the survey, five hundred and nine people pro...

Digital Mental Health is information and communication technology used in mental health services delivered or boosted through the Internet and related technologies, smartphone and wearable technologies as well as immersive solutions (e.g., Virtual Reality and video games). It is predominantly used as self-help services or with the assistance of a (...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered daily routines and family functioning, led to closing schools, and dramatically limited social interactions worldwide. Measuring its impact on mental health of vulnerable children and adolescents is crucial. Methods: The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (C...

Background Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex an...

Background: There has been limited attention to the development and delivery of tertiary suicide prevention curricula. The aim of this work was to describe the status of postgraduate suicide prevention education, with specific attention on examining the needs of the suicide prevention sector in Australia. Method: An online survey was completed b...

Objective To analyse the epidemiological data on suicide in French Polynesia (FP). Methods Data on suicides were collected from the Public Health Direction, Judicial Police Investigations Court of Justice records, the Centre d’Opérations et de Renseignements de la Gendarmerie, patient records for those hospitalized in psychiatry and from psycholog...

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential traject...

Social isolation and loneliness are increasing in our contemporary western society and seem to correlate with suicide in adolescents and young adults. Social Workers are a potential resource to create such initiatives and projects that promote inclusion and cohesion within communities, a protective factor against suicide. Sixty-two Social Work BA s...

Background: . High-quality comprehensive data on short-/long-term physical/mental health effects of the COVID�19 pandemic are needed. Methods: . The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is an international, multi-language (n=30) project involving >230 investigators from 49 countries/territories/r...

The Internet has become an essential tool for adolescents. It is part of their social integration within peers and supports their identity construction. The Internet can also become a source of addiction; especially when used as a coping strategy towards unpleasant life situations. The feeling of loneliness is an emotion present during the adolesce...

Gatekeeper training (GKT) is one of the most widely used suicide prevention strategies. It involves training people who are not necessarily clinicians to be able to identify people experiencing suicidality and refer them to appropriate services. While there is a dearth of research that supports the causal link between GKT and reduced suicide rates,...

Background: The Systematic Tailored Assessment for Responding to Suicidality (STARS) is a client-centered, psychosocial needs-based assessment protocol. This semistructured interview obtains client prioritized indicators that contribute to suicidality and informs commensurate care responses for preventing suicide. Aim: To pilot the feasibility, cli...

Background Research over how suicide survivors approach services is limited. Aims: This cross-sectional study explores the psychological state and perceived social support of Italian survivors, including those who have not sought for help, and investigates differences for gender or kinship with the departed. Methods: Rule-based system (RBS) analyse...

Background Suicide among older adults is a multifactorial problem with several interrelated factors involved that vary with age, gender and culture. The number of suicides is highest in those aged 70 years or older in almost all regions of the world. With the increase in life expectancy, and the decrease in mortality due to other causes of death, w...

Background: Alcohol consumption is related to both suicidal ideation and behaviour, but evidence regarding the effect of psychological interventions to reduce alcohol use on self-harm, suicidal behaviour and ideation is limited. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the effect of...

Background: Despite the promising evidence for the effectiveness of school-based awareness programs in decreasing the rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in young people, no guidelines on the targets and methods of safe and effective awareness programs exist. Aims: This study intends to distill recommendations for school-based suicide a...

The current pandemic’s effect on mental health is uncertain with reports of it being largely negative related to loneliness and unemployment. There are different responses to pandemic stress with regards to cultural differences and social environment. Athletes are special in their experience of psychological resilience – there is a trend of positiv...

Background: People bereaved by suicide often face isolation, complicated grief, and increased suicide risk. Aims: We aimed to explore how live-chat can support survivors in their bereavement process. Method: A thematic analysis was carried out on 30 live-chat conversations through the software ATLAS.ti8. Transcripts were retrieved from a major Ital...

Objectives Explore international consensus on nomenclatures of suicidal behaviours and analyse differences in terminology between high-income countries (HICs) and low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Design An online survey of members of the International Organisation for Suicide Prevention (IASP) used multiple-choice questions and vignettes to as...

This is a one-stop book for anyone who wants an overview of the research approaches and issues concerning suicide. Leading researchers provide a comprehensive toolbox of the current best practices in suicide research, showing you how to conduct high-quality research using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods in suicide-prevention from a pub...

New digital technologies have expanded the realm of opportunities to deliver support to those at risk of suicide. eHealth and general health apps have shown important prevention capabilities. Big data analytic methods have made possible successful applications of artificial intelligence in health care. Machine learning techniques and natural langua...

Background and Objective: Wesley Mission LifeForce training is an Australian suicide prevention gatekeeper program which has not been formally evaluated. The aims of this evaluation were to (1) determine the short- and medium- term impacts of the training on worker capabilities (perceived and declarative knowledge), attitudes, and reluctance to int...

Limited research exists on the experiences of parents bereaved by suicide. Our earlier qualitative analysis examined the experiences of parents’ suicide bereavement at 6 and 12 months after their loss. The current study aimed to extend the analysis over 24 months, outlining the key themes of parents’ suicide bereavement experience. In the frames of...

Despite the general decline in the number of suicides in the world, suicide rates among older adults remain the highest in most countries. Unfortunately, suicide in late life also remains a somewhat neglected topic, and ageistic visions of age-related problems often make suicidal behaviour a justifiable choice. This chapter examines the most import...

Prisoners are an extremely vulnerable group regarding suicidal behaviour, with a consistently higher prevalence of suicide when compared to the general population. However, the characteristics of suicidal behaviour for this group are understudied in Slovenia. We wanted to investigate the characteristics of suicidal behaviour and suicide-related fac...

UNSTRUCTURED The overwhelming demand and inadequate supply of mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic presents opportunities for digital and data-oriented tools to fill this gap and, in the process, demonstrate capabilities to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Mental health service providers are grappling with the challenges of in...

The demand outstripping supply of mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic presents opportunities for digital technology tools to fill this new gap and, in the process, demonstrate capabilities to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. However, technology-enabled services have faced challenges in being sustainably implemented desp...