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Suicide Rate Quadrupled in US Adults With Schizophrenia
Adults with schizophrenia have a suicide rate 4.5 times higher than the general US population, according to a study published online ahead of print in JAMA Psychiatry.
“When a person with schizophrenia is becoming suicidal, an attempt can happen with little warning,” said study co-author Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York. “Often, suicidal behavior in schizophrenia is driven by psychotic processes. This aspect can make it difficult to anticipate and prevent.”
To investigate suicide mortality rates among adults with schizophrenia across the life span, researchers examined 2,218 suicide deaths between 2007 and 2016 among 668,836 Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia. They further categorized patients by age: 18 to 34; 35 to 44; 45 to 54; 55 to 64; and 65 years and older.
While the risk of dying from suicide was increased 4.5-fold for the study population as a whole compared with the general US population, researchers also identified the age group with the highest suicide rate: young adults with schizophrenia between the ages of 18 and 34. The oldest age group, comprised of patients 65 years and older, had the lowest suicide rate. Conversely, in the general population, the authors pointed out that adults 65 years and older have a higher suicide risk, while younger adults ages 18 through 34 have less risk.
In patients with schizophrenia aged 18 to 34, suicide risk significantly increased in those with recent suicide attempts or self-injury, suicidal ideation, and drug use disorders, according to the study. Comorbid depressive disorders were not associated with suicide risk.
“These patterns support suicide prevention efforts with a focus on young adults with schizophrenia,” researchers wrote, “especially those with suicidal symptoms and substance use.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
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