Clinical Subgroups

Strategic Research Cluster: Clinical Subgroups

Over the past decade, an increasing number of research projects have been conducted among specific subgroups of self-harm patients and people who died by suicide, initially identified via the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland and the SSIS.

In recent years, the HRB funded research project Improving Prediction and Risk Assessment of Suicide and Self-Harm (IMPRESS), has identified specific clinical subgroups at high risk of repeated self-harm and suicide, in particular self-harm patients with a history of five or more previous self-harm acts and patients with high risk self-harm i.e. those with high lethality and/or high suicidal intent.

Via the National DBT implementation and evaluation project, extensive expertise has been obtained on self-harm among people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder).

Considering this track record and expertise, and considering the limited number of studies addressing clinical subgroups at international level, the NSRF consider it important to allocate a specific research cluster to this topic.

This research cluster currently includes seven projects:

• Improving Prediction and Risk Assessment of Suicide and Self-Harm (IMPRESS)

• Deaths amongst Mental Health Services Patients

• MHAINTAIN – Early Identification of Suicide and Self-Harm Risk and Comorbid Mental and Physical Disorders

• Examining the incidence of self-harm and suicide among the Irish Traveller population

• Mental Health of Veterinary Professionals Survey

• Development of national undergraduate curriculum in suicide prevention

• Impact of Patient Suicide on Psychiatrists in Ireland