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Affiliation
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Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: soeoes@rm.dk. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Male sex is a consistently reported risk factor for violent suicide. It has been suggested that this association may be driven by so-called male depression - as operationalized by the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS). The aim of this systematic review was to investigate if males dying by or attempting suicide with violent methods, display symptoms compatible with male depression.
METHODS: This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO was performed using search terms covering: male sex, violent suicide/suicide attempt, and symptoms of male depression from the GMDS. Subsequently, a qualitative synthesis of studies meeting predefined inclusion criteria was carried out.
RESULTS: A total of 28 studies reporting on 91,933 violent suicides and 113 violent suicide attempts were included in the qualitative synthesis. The suicide/suicide attempt methods reported in these studies were predominantly shooting, hanging or drowning. The only two symptoms from the GMDS that was reported in relation to violent suicides/suicide attempts was overconsumption of alcohol or drugs and suicide attempts in the biological family. No studies had systematically assessed suicide victims or attempters for symptoms of male depression. LIMITATIONS: Publication-, selection-, and information biases may have affected this review.
CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of male depression are rarely reported in relation to violent suicides/suicide attempts. The most likely explanation for this finding is that there has been little focus on this potential association. Future studies should address this void.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Language: en |