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A response by Makiko Nakagawa and Chiaki Kawanishi to a letter to the editor about his article on suicide attempters who were given crisis intervention during hospital stay: published in the previous issue is presented.

A letter to the editor is presented about a study of suicide attempters who were given crisis intervention during hospital stay.

Aim: The Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS) was developed to assess the social impairment caused by depression. The purposes of this study were to develop a Japanese version of the SASS (SASS-J) and to evaluate its reliability and validity. Methods: The SASS-J and the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to 322 participants (95 working patients who were working while under treatment for depression, 99 non-working patients who were absent from their work due to depression, and 128 healthy controls). The healthy controls underwent both questionnaires twice, at baseline and 2 weeks later, in order to assess test-retest reliability. Results: Cronbach's alpha was 0.81. Significance correlations were found between SASS-J scores at baseline and 2 weeks later in healthy controls (R = 0.845, P < 0.001). There were negative correlations between the SASS-J and BDI scores (ρ = -0.683, P < 0.001). Mean SASS-J scores differed significantly among the three groups (working patients: 33.7 ± 7.9; non-working patients: 25.2 ± 7.8; healthy controls: 36.1 ± 6.0 [mean ± SD]). The best compromise between the true positive and the false negative rate in this study was at a cut-off point of 25/26. Conclusion: SASS-J showed sufficient reliability and validity, and could be considered a suitable instrument to evaluate social functioning in depressive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide attempt is a risk factor for suicide. To investigate trait impulsivity among suicide attempters, 93 attempters admitted to an emergency department and 113 healthy controls were evaluated using the Japanese version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11J). Impulsivity was analyzed in relation to clinical data in the attempters. Total BIS-11J, attention impulsiveness, and motor impulsiveness scores were significantly higher in the attempters than in the controls. Both total BIS-11J and non-planning impulsiveness scores were significantly higher in attempters with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among the diagnostic groups. Control of impulsivity should be considered as one of the targets for suicide prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide attempt is a potent risk factor of subsequent suicide. Understanding the characteristics of suicide attempters is important for preventing suicide. The authors investigated aggression in medically serious suicide attempters at an emergency department. Trait aggression was evaluated in 55 suicide attempters and 71 healthy individuals as a control group using the Japanese version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ). Total BAQ scores ( t = 2.782, P = 0.006) and the hostility scores ( t = 3.735, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the suicide attempters than the controls. It suggested that to focus on aggression and its management is one of the key components for preventing suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]