Suicide risk increased by sleep disorder presence

This article discusses the association seen between presence of a sleep disorder in older adults and increased suicide risk.

Sleep quality influences suicide risks for older adults, according to a research undertaken by scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine. Rebecca Bernert, the study’s author, says this is a highly treatable condition. Bernert, PhD, is the director of the Suicide Prevention Research Laboratory at Stanford. The fact that sleep disorder increases suicide risks for older adults comes after a complex research.

Another research carried earlier this year involvedblood analysis to determine suicide risks.

“Suicide is the outcome of multiple, often interacting biological, psychological and social risk factors,” Bernert said. “Disturbed sleep stands apart as a risk factor and warning sign in that it may be undone, which highlights its importance as a screening tool and potential treatment target in suicide prevention.

To reach the conclusion, the team of scientists from Stanford looked at data from 14.456 adults over 65 years old. Out of this group, they chose 400 individuals who had similar sleeping patterns to 20 people who committed suicide. Scientists followed the sleeping behavior over a 10 years period. In the end, researchers concluded that older people with sleeping disorders have a suicide risk 1.4 times higher than their counterparts with high sleep quality.

The comparison between the two groups was done by looking at a series of data obtained through interviews. The questions addressed topics such as depression signs, and mental and physical functioning. Even after taking out the depression variable, the lack of quality sleep remained an important factor determining an increased risk of committing suicide.

Suicide is associated with stigma, so people suffering suicidal thoughts or attempts have troubles talking about the issue. However, if a disturbed sleeping pattern accounts for such a high influence in determining suicide, there is a ray of hope. If trouble sleeping is not a stigmatized disorder, focusing on improving the older adults’ sleep quality might reduce the suicide rates.

The subjects involved in the study were mostly white males. A group of twenty suicide victims is surely not enough to draw the definitive conclusion that sleep disorder increases suicide risks, but is a start. Further research involving data from cases involving women and minority groups may shed additional light on the issue.

People who are at risk of committing suicide should ask for help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK).

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Those with Asperger syndrome are more likely to commit suicide

A study shows that those with Asperger syndrome have a higher risk of suicide. This is especially true if they are depressed.

Adults with the milder form of autism known as Asperger syndrome are much more likely to think about and attempt suicide than those in the general population, a new British study suggests.

The survey of 374 British adults with Asperger syndrome found that 66 percent reported having suicidal thoughts and 35 percent had planned or attempted suicide. Suicidal thoughts were much more common among those with a history of depression, the authors noted.

In comparison, rates of suicidal thoughts were 17 percent in the general population of U.K. adults and 59 percent of patients with psychosis, according to the study published June 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Among adults with Asperger syndrome, those with depression were four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and twice as likely to plan or attempt suicide, compared to those without depression, the investigators found.

The study also found that adults with more severe autism symptoms were more likely to plan or attempt suicide.

"Our findings confirm anecdotal reports that adults with Asperger syndrome have a significantly higher risk of suicide in comparison to other clinical groups, and that depression is a key risk factor in this," study co-leader Dr. Sarah Cassidy, of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, said in a journal news release.

And, study co-leader Simon Baron-Cohen, also of Cambridge, added, "Adults with Asperger syndrome often suffer with secondary depression due to social isolation, loneliness, social exclusion, lack of community services, under-achievement and unemployment."

However, Baron-Cohen believes that "their depression and risk of suicide are preventable with the appropriate support. This study should be a wake-up call for the urgent need for high-quality services, to prevent the tragic waste of even a single life," he said in the news release.

Two experts in the United States weren't surprised by the findings.

Dr. Melissa Nishawala is assistant professor at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. She said the new study supports "something we have known clinically for quite some time: bright, verbal individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), commonly described as Asperger syndrome, have a much higher rate of depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than peers who are not on the autism spectrum."

Nishawala agreed with Baron-Cohen that the finding "underscores the unmet need for increased support and resources for people with ASD at each developmental stage from childhood through adulthood."

Dr. Alexander Kolevzon, clinical director of the Seaver Autism Research Center at Mount Sinai Hospital, agreed. He said the study "will likely have an impact on patient care by raising clinical suspicion for suicidality [in patients with Asperger syndrome] and highlighting the need for treatment and close monitoring."

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Study shows that ADHD treatment does not increase suicide risk

A study shows that drug therapy for ADHD does not increase suicide risk.

A new register-based study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that drug therapy for ADHD does not entail an increased risk of suicide attempts or suicide, as was previously feared. The results are published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

"Our work in several ways shows that most likely there is no link between treatment with ADHD drugs and an increased risk of suicide attempts or suicide. The results rather indicate that ADHD drugs may have a protective effect," says Henrik Larsson, researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, who headed the study.

Earlier research has indicated that ADHD drug treatment would increase the occurrence of suicidal thoughts. However, these studies have been small scale and/or the methods used have been limited, which make the results uncertain. To gain clarity in this matter, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now used national patient registers to identify all patients in Sweden diagnosed with ADHD between 1960 and 1996; a total of 37,936 individuals. These people were then followed over the period 2006-2009, in terms of drug treatment and events that could be linked to suicide attempts and suicide.

Among other things, the study compared the rate of suicidal behaviors while the patients were receiving ADHD medication, as compared with the rate for the same patients while not receiving medication. Using this design the researchers were able to determine that there was no evidence to support that ADHD drug therapy would increase the risk of suicide attempts/suicide. One strong point of the study now being published is that all the individuals were compared to themselves, as this allowed the researchers to take into account the differences between those taking the drugs and those who do not.

"Many epidemiological studies on the risks related to drugs fail to adjust for the differences between individuals who take the drugs and those who do not. This is a critical limitation given that the individuals on medication are usually more severely ill than the others," says Henrik Larsson.

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