Suicide: who are the people at risk

How to better prevent suicide? American researchers have looked into the question, while 45,000 people die each year in the United States – a figure up 24% for fifteen years. The authors of this new work, published in the journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine, highlight the impact of physical illnesses on the suicidal state and, from there, developed several risk criteria.

The researchers started from an observation: very many people who die by suicide have not been diagnosed with mental illness. This means that a number of people at risk of dying out escape the health system, which is struggling to spot them. And for good reason: the origin of their discomfort could be above all physical.

Diabetes, back pain, HIV …

The study shows that 17 pathologies and physical ailments such as back pain, diabetes, asthma and heart disease are associated with an increased risk of suicide. Two pathologies – sleep disorders and HIV – double the risk of acting out. Head injuries, meanwhile, increase this risk ninefold.

Among the other pathologies associated with a risk of suicide, the authors cite COPD, epilepsy, hypertension, migraine, Parkinson’s disease, kidney problems or even psychogenic pain.

To arrive at these observations, the researchers analyzed data from 2,674 people who died between 2000 and 2013, which they compared to data from 267,400 people in the control group.

80% consulted the year of their act

Research shows that 80% of individuals who committed suicide had had a medical consultation in the year before their death for one of the pathologies mentioned. Half of these people had gone to the doctor in the month preceding their act. Since they did not have a psychological problem, they did not benefit from any specific measure.

Efforts to prevent the risk of suicide should be undertaken in those who suffer from these diseases, including in patients without mental disorder, insist the authors.