Be careful out there. I got the talk while in the hospital, 'Have you ever thought about committing suicide? Also got the question, 'Do you blame your body for failing you?'
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=176249&CultureCode=en
Chronic illness, even in patients with no record of mental health
problems, raises suicide risk substantially, according to a new study in
the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Suicide continues to be a major driver of mortality in the United
States. Each year, more than 45,000 people die by suicide and in the
past 15 years, the suicide mortality rate has risen by an alarming 24%. A
new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine examines how
illness plays a role in suicide risk. Researchers found that 17 physical
health conditions, ailments such as back pain, diabetes, and heart
disease, were associated with an increased risk of suicide. Two of the
conditions—sleep disorders and HIV/AIDS—represented a greater than
twofold increase, while traumatic brain injury made individuals nine
times more likely to die by suicide.
While the rates of other causes of death have declined in recent
years, suicide continues to trend upwards across all ages and genders.
Many people who die by suicide do not have a prior mental health
diagnosis, which means that patients at an increased risk for self-harm
are somehow being missed by the mainstream healthcare system. In an
attempt to gain some insight into the disturbing rise in suicide rates
and possible novel interventions, researchers examined whether there is a
link between physical illness and suicide risk.
“These data represent among the first findings from areas across the
U.S. documenting an increase in suicide risk for people with a variety
of major physical health conditions,” explained lead investigator Brian
K. Ahmedani, PhD, LMSW, Director of Psychiatry Research, Behavioral
Health Services Research Scientist, Center for Health Policy &
Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI. “As our
nation’s healthcare systems work diligently to provide the best care
for their patients, these data help support the need for suicide
prevention among those with a wide variety of physical health
conditions.”
This study included 2,674 individuals who died by suicide between
2000 and 2013 along with 267,400 controls matched on year and location
in a case-control study across eight Mental Health Research Network
healthcare systems. Seventeen of 19 medical conditions investigated were
linked to an increased suicide risk: asthma, back pain, brain injury,
cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, hypertension,
migraine, Parkinson’s disease, psychogenic pain, renal disorder, sleep
disorders, and stroke.
While all of these conditions were associated with greater risk, some
conditions showed a stronger association than others. For example,
people with a traumatic brain injury were nine times more likely to die
by suicide, while those with sleep disorders and HIV/AIDS were at a
greater than twofold risk. Along with varying rates among conditions,
having multiple physical health conditions also substantially increased
risk.
“Although suicide risk appears to be pervasive across most physical
health conditions, prevention efforts appear to be particularly
important for patients with a traumatic brain injury, whose odds of
suicide are increased nearly ninefold, even after adjusting for
potential confounders,” reported Dr. Ahmedani. “This is the first large,
multisite study conducted within the general U.S. population
demonstrating a significant, large-magnitude relationship between brain
injury and suicide.”
According to this study, targeted interventions in primary care and
specialty care may be the key to preventing suicides. It’s reported that
80% of individuals who die by suicide make a healthcare visit in the
year before their death and that 50% go to the doctor within four weeks
of dying by suicide. Because most these patients do not have a diagnosed
mental health problem, limiting suicide prevention efforts to standard
behavioral healthcare settings may miss many of the individuals at risk.
“Several conditions, such as back pain, sleep disorders, and
traumatic brain injury were all associated with suicide risk and are
commonly diagnosed, making patients with these conditions primary
targets for suicide prevention,” concluded Dr. Ahmedani. “Given that
nearly every physical health condition was associated with suicide,
widespread suicide prevention efforts in all healthcare settings seem
warranted.”
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