Pain News and Research
Chronic Pain and Suicide Risk
People with chronic pain other than arthritis are four times more likely to have attempted suicide than other adults, according to the results of a recent study out of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Further, researchers found that pain in the head or in several different areas of the body is an indicator for suicidal tendencies. People with severe headaches are twice as likely to have thought about or attempted suicide.
Although the majority of people with chronic pain do not develop suicidal tendencies, 14% of respondents with three or more painful conditions said they had thought about suicide and almost 6% reported an actual suicide attempt. Nearly 8% of people with frequent or severe headaches had thought about killing themselves. This is four times the rate found among adults with no chronic head pain.
Source: General Hospital Psychiatry, November/December, 2008
Although the majority of people with chronic pain do not develop suicidal tendencies, 14% of respondents with three or more painful conditions said they had thought about suicide and almost 6% reported an actual suicide attempt. Nearly 8% of people with frequent or severe headaches had thought about killing themselves. This is four times the rate found among adults with no chronic head pain.
Source: General Hospital Psychiatry, November/December, 2008