Interventions during the copycat suicide crisis among Thai students: A follow-up study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To survey patterns of psychotropic drug prescription, psychotherapy, and their associations with suicidal risk among Thai university students during the copycat suicide crisis and the subsequent 6 month follow-up. Methods: This time-series study had two phases; each lasted for 4 weeks in March and September 2019. All university students who accessed psychiatric services at the outpatient unit of our university hospital were enrolled automatically. Patient data, such as personal information, diagnosis, drug prescription, psychosocial intervention, and suicide screening score (Thai-version 8Q), were collected from the hospital’s database. Descriptive data analysis via the Chi-square test and logistic regressions was conducted using the R-program (the R foundation,Vienna, Austria). Results: During the height of the copycat suicide crisis in Thailand and the following 6 months, antidepressants were prescribed most often (73.8% and 78.6%) and most of the students received only psychoeducation (67.5% and 61.9%). Psychoeducation was found to associate with a decreased suicidal risk during the 6 month follow-up (P = 0.019). During the crisis, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and mood stabilizer prescriptions were significantly associated with an increased suicidal risk (P = 0.002 and 0.01, respectively). Only antipsychotics prescription showed a statistically significant association at 6 months following the crisis (P = 0.031). Conclusion: Predominantly, Thai university student psychiatric outpatients were prescribed antidepressants and received psychoeducation during the copycat suicide crisis and 6 months after. Mood disorders and mood stabilizer prescription were significantly associated with an increased suicidal risk during the crisis, whereas antipsychotics prescription was associated with the same at 6 months later.