The study aimed to understand the tendencies of help seeking before a suicide attempt in Lithuania. An analysis of interviews with 21 Lithuanian adults demonstrated strong avoidance of seeking help. The main reasons for avoidance included a lack of trust in other people, thinking that one must solve problems independently without sharing them, avoiding troubling others, and a belief that showing genuine emotions is a sign of weakness. These findings may contribute to suicide prevention by more deeply understanding the barriers to help seeking among high suicide risk groups, particularly in countries with a traumatic historical experience.

Background: Studies show that people bereaved by suicide often feel a strong need for professional help. It is hypothesized that aspects related to suicide bereavement, such as stigmatization, shame or guilt, hinder help-seeking process of the bereaved. However, little is known about help-seeking behaviors of people who has lost someone due to suicide. Aims: This study was conducted to attain a better understanding of the contributing factors, including the specific features of grief following suicide, to help-seeking behaviors of the bereaved by suicide. Methods: The sample consisted of 82 adults bereaved by suicide (64 female; average age 37.79, SD = 14.33). Instruments assessing stigmatization, shame, guilt levels, well-being, tendency to disclose emotional distress and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were used. The participants were also asked an open-ended question what professional help-seeking barriers they had encountered. Comparisons between the groups, logistic regression analysis and thematic analysis of the qualitative data were performed. Results: The findings revealed that bereaved participants who sought professional psychological help reported experiencing stigmatization and feeling guilty after the loss significantly more often. Also the results showed that attitudes toward mental health specialists had the highest prognostic value in predicting help-seeking behaviors of the bereaved. The participants themselves identified the gaps in the health care system as main barriers to seeking help. Conclusion: The results challenge previously spread notion that stigmatization, guilt and shame after suicide can act only as help-seeking barriers.

Background and Purpose. Many college students and young adults in various parts of the world have difficulty with drinking too much alcohol and are at-risk for alcohol use disorders. A permissive parenting style and beer drinking are risk factors for alcohol abuse among late adolescents and young adults. Methods. This study examined the indirect relations between permissive parenting (measured with the Parental Authority Questionnaire, PAQ) and Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT, 2 nd edition) scores via beer drinking frequency (measured with the Student Alcohol Questionnaire, SAQ) among a sample of college students (ages 18 to 23) in the Northeast region of the United States. In addition, the indirect relation between gender and AUDIT scores via beer drinking frequency were also examined through Structural Equation Modeling. Results. As predicted, students of permissive parents drank more beer and this was associated with more alcohol related problems. Likewise, young women drank significantly less beer than young men and this was associated with fewer alcohol dependence symptoms and healthier drinking habits. Conclusion. This study builds upon a number of studies that have found that beer drinking is potentially more problematic than wine drinking (and to some extent, liquor drinking) among young adults. Findings suggest that reducing beer drinking frequency, especially among boys, may be an intermediate target for future parenting intervention studies that aim to prevent alcohol use disorders.

This paper aims to investigate helpful relationship characteristics in suicide attempt healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with seven participants (5 women, 2 men; mean age = 26) were conducted after a suicide attempt. All participants took part in the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP). Findings revealed the necessity of an egalitarian, attentive, benevolent and competent relationship with healthcare specialists.Coercive clinical management was considered disrespectful, while the needs for physical safety and freedom were expressed. A suicide-specific treatment program in addition to standard care was considered helpful, in particular the development of warning signs and safety strategies.

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