Mapping the timescale of suicidal thinking
Using Ecological Momentary Assessment and Statistical Models to Zoom in on Suicidal Thinking
Have you ever wondered why suicidal thoughts are so difficult to understand? For many many years, researchers have been trying to understand the fundamental properties of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, but most studies have only focused on their prevalence and predictors. Surprisingly, little research has been done on the timing and duration of suicidal thoughts. But fear not, because a new study has just been published in which researchers finally map out the timescale of suicidal thinking. So today, we’re going to dive into this fascinating research and uncover some of the surprising findings.
Today we’re going to talk about a really interesting paper that just came out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper is called “Mapping the timescale of suicidal thinking” and it’s authored by Darien Coppersmith, along with his colleagues Olivia Ryan, Rachel Fortgang, Alexander Millner, Elizabeth Kleiman, and Matthew Nock.
In this paper, they explore the timescale of suicidal thoughts and how they progress over time. Let’s get started!
In general, there is a lack of knowledge about how long suicidal thoughts last. It’s is however a really important piece of information, because understanding the timescale of suicidal thinking can help researchers figure out how to measure it and develop new treatments. But surprisingly, there hasn’t been a lot of research on this topic, and we don’t know how suicidal thoughts or behaviors change over minutes, hours, or days.
In this study, researchers wanted to learn more about how suicidal thoughts change over time, so they collected data using something called an “ecological momentary assessment” approach. Basically, they took measurements of suicidal thoughts at different frequencies: some were every few hours, and others were every 10 minutes. They then used several different methods to analyze the data and see how suicidal thoughts evolved over time. This included looking at the differences between high- and low-frequency measurements, calculating the rate of change in suicidal thoughts, and using models to understand the overall dynamics of suicidal thinking. A total of 105 adults enrolled in the study.
This study is the most detailed look at the way suicidal thinking changes over time. There were three big discoveries: 1) suicidal thinking can change very quickly, 2) different aspects of suicidal thinking happen at different rates, and 3) the statistical models used to measure suicidal thinking are different depending on how often measurements are taken.
This study used new methods to collect and analyze data on suicidal thinking, providing important insights into how it changes over short periods of time. By looking at it as a dynamic process, rather than a static condition, we can now better understand suicide risk and how to prevent it.
The paper is very interesting, and I suggest you to read the article in full, which can be found here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215434120.
I will try to be more consistent in publishing content on this publication. If you have any paper you’d like to see discussed, let me know :) Meanwhile, you can check out other posts here: https://medium.com/the-pills-of-psy, or check the suggested article below:
Today’s paper: Coppersmith, D. D., Ryan, O., Fortgang, R. G., Millner, A. J., Kleiman, E. M., & Nock, M. K. (2023). Mapping the timescale of suicidal thinking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(17), e2215434120. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215434120.
