DALLAS, March 11, 2021– Survivors of a stroke may be more likely to attempt or die by suicide than those who did not have a stroke, according to a preliminary presentation presented at the International Stroke Conference 2021. National Meeting of the Stroke Association of America is 20-19 March, 2021 and is a major global meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health. This study will be published at the same time in the journal American Heart Association Stroke.
Depression rates among stroke survivors range from 28% to 35%, and stroke is considered an independent risk factor for depression. Because post-stroke depression has been linked to increased suicidal ideation, researchers sought to measure and understand the risk of suicide after a stroke.
“Recognizing that stroke may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide will help people who have had a stroke, their families and health care professionals identify these risks and hopefully,” the author said. Manav V. Vyas study, MBBS, M.Sc., clinical. associate in neurology at the University of Toronto in Canada. “It’s important that we look into this issue because nearly 15 million people worldwide have a stroke every year, and about 10 million of those are alive. It has a physical and mental health impact. people who have survived a stroke and may be more likely to attempt suicide or die by suicide. “
Researchers analyzed several international medical databases including MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and Google Scholar from each database started until September 15, 2020 using database-specific keywords and topic headings for stroke and suicide. They examined 23 published studies involving more than 2 million people who survived a stroke to examine the link between stroke and suicide. More than 5,500 of those who survived attempted suicide or died by suicide.
When researchers compared their analysis with suicide statistics among the general population, they found stroke survivors:
- there was a 73% higher risk of suicide;
- they were twice as likely to attempt suicide;
- there was a 63% higher risk of dying by suicide; and
- there was a reduced risk of suicide over time.
“We expected the risk of suicide in those who survived a stroke to be high, but it surprised us that it was 73% higher,” Vyas said. “I hope this study highlights the need for the scale and impact of disability recognition in people who have had a stroke and the potential impact it can have on mental health status. A discussion of low emotions or Depressive feelings are challenging for stroke survivors who are unable to communicate frequently as a result of the stroke, so health care professionals should consider routine screening of all stroke patients for depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts, the among other mental health conditions. “
This study has a few limitations, implying that it is observational and cannot conclude that a stroke causes suicide. Another limitation is that some of the studies examined did not rule out people who had a history of suicide attempt prior to stroke, which may have influenced the results.
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Co-authors of the study are Jeffrey Z. Wang, MD; Meah M. Gao, MD; and Daniel G. Hackam, MD, Ph.D. The authors’ publications are listed in the summary. They did not report external funding sources for this study.
Additional resources:
Are you in a crisis? Please contact the national lifeline for suicide prevention at 800-273-8255. Or contact the Emergency Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Additional resources available from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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The American Stroke Association (ISC) International Stroke Conference is the world’s premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease. ISC 2021 will be held almost March 17-19, 2021. The 3-day conference will feature more than 1,200 compelling presentations in 21 departments that will emphasize basic, clinical and translational sciences as well as they lead to a better understanding of stroke pathophysiology with the goal of developing more effective treatments. Participate in the International Stroke Conference on social media via # ISC21.
About the American Stroke Association
The American Stroke Association is committed to saving people from stroke – the number 2 leading cause of death in the world and the leading cause of major disability. We work with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide life-saving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association was officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit stroke.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
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