title: Do stroke patients have an increased risk of developing suicidal ideation or dying by suicide? An overview of the current literature.
abstract: Stroke is a leading cause of death that affects 15 million people worldwide each year. Increasing evidence suggests that stroke confers substantial risk for suicide and following a stroke, patients frequently develop poststroke depression, which is a well-established risk factor for suicide. In this overview of the current literature, we examined the association between suffering a stroke and subsequent risk for suicide and suicidal ideation. We performed a careful MedLine, Excerpta Medica, PsycLit, PsycInfo, and Index Medicus search to identify all articles and book chapters in English. We initially selected 31 articles published between 1990 and 2011; however, only 16 studies were included in this review. All articles identified stroke as a significant risk factor for suicide, especially among depressed patients, providing further support for poststroke depression and suicidality. The results also indicated that there were differences between patients who developed acute-onset suicidal plans and those who reported delayed-onset plans, which occurred more frequently. Many of the stroke patients who died by suicide suffered from depression prior to their death, suggesting that being diagnosed with a mood disorder contributes to an increased risk of suicide in this population. Suffering from a stroke increases the risk of dying by suicide and developing suicidal ideation, particularly in young adults and women. The factors found to confer the most risk for suicidality were depression, previous mood disorder, prior history of stroke, and cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompili
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venturini
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campi
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Seretti
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Montebovi
authors.forename: Dorian A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lamis
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult