Recent trends in suicides utilizing helium

Retrospective review of cases of suicide involving helium inhalation was undertaken at Forensic Science South Australia over a 25-year period from 1985 to 2009. No cases of helium-related suicides were identified in the first 15 years of the study, with one case between 2000 and 2004 and eight cases between 2005 and 2009. Australian data were also reviewed from 2001 to 2009 that showed 30 cases between January 2001 and June 2005, compared to 79 cases between July 2005 and December 2009, an increase of 163%. A review of Swedish data between 2001 and 2009 showed no cases between January 2001 and June 2005, compared to seven cases between July 2005 and December 2009. Thus, all three areas showed recent and striking increases in cases of suicide involving helium inhalation. Given the availability of helium and the recent promotion of this method of suicide, it is quite possible that this may represent a newly emerging trend in suicide deaths.     

Lowering the age of consent: Legal,ethical, and clinical implications of adolescent-directed therapy

This article discusses a recently enacted Colorado law that aims to reduce the youth suicide rate by lowering the age of consent for psychotherapy from age 15 to age 12. The author discusses the challenges therapists face when young adolescents seek therapy without parental consent in cases involving interparental conflict. Suggestions for managing adolescent-directed therapy are offered.     

The EU and Justice in Palestine: An Interview with Grace O'Sullivan

Grace O'Sullivan of the Irish Green Party, affiliated with the European Green Party, has been a member of the European Parliament from Ireland for the South constituency since July 2019. In the European Parliament, she is a member of delegations on Palestine and Mercosur. O'Sullivan previously served as a senator in Ireland and was a sponsor of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, which sought to prohibit the import of goods produced in illegal settlements. O'Sullivan, an environmental activist, spent 20 years with Greenpeace and worked on the crew of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, when it was bombed in New Zealand by French intelligence. She was interviewed by Roger Gaess via email in April and May 2023.