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Some Stroke Survivors At Greater Risk Of Suicide LONDON, ENGLAND -- April 17, 1998 -- Women and people under the age of 60 years of both sexes who have had a stroke, have a significantly increased risk of suicide, says Dr Elsebeth Stenager, registrar, department of social medicine, Odense Municipality, Denmark, and colleagues in this week’s British Medical Journal. The authors said that depression is common in stroke patients and particularly in female patients, which may explain their findings. In the United States stroke is the third most common cause of death among those aged over 70. In Europe the incidence of stroke is two per 1,000 population a year. Survivors are often incapacitated. The frequency of depression after stroke is estimated at 18-60 percent. Other neurological disorders that may result in mental and cognitive disorders are associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour. The study recruited all patients who had a discharge diagnosis of stroke from a hospital in the county of Funen, Denmark between April 1, 1973 to Dec. 31, 1989. Only admitted patients were included, but Danish patients with stroke are almost always admitted, thus reducing bias. Information was collected for the study period on the causes of death in the deceased patients and the frequency of suicide comparable for age and sex in the total population of the county of Funen. The researchers then calculated standardised mortality ratios for suicide for men and women separately in the age groups: 49 and younger; 50 to 59; 60-69; 70-79; and 80 and up. At the end of the study, of the 37,869 patients with stroke (19,266 men), 7,365 (3,614 men) were alive and 30,504 (15,652 men) had died. Altogether, 140 patients (80 women) committed suicide. The researchers found that patients with stroke have a significantly increased risk of suicide, especially in the age groups up to age 60 and in women. "Although only 140 in a population of almost 38 000 patients with stroke committed suicide [7.2 percent of all the suicides in the area], an unknown, but probably larger number of patients may have attempted suicide and a third may have depression," they write. "Furthermore, the number of suicides may be underestimated as some deaths would not be registered as suicides. "The high suicide risk in patients with stroke suggests that society should take more interest in the psychosocial aspects of living with the impairment imposed by stroke." E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version