OCD Patients Have Higher Propensity to Commit Suicide - Study Suicide is a major concern in the public health domain, with approximately 800,000 people committing suicide worldwide each year. According to studies, people with a mental health condition are more likely to die by committing suicide. It is estimated that 90 percent people who kill themselves suffer from some form of mental disorder. Among patients of mental disorders, those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than others, revealed a recent study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry in July 2016. It is said that a previous attempt to kill themselves is the main predictor of suicide in OCD patients that should be an opportunity to intervene. OCD, one of the most common mental disorders, has a lifetime prevalence of about 2 percent among the general population and is a chronic condition that significantly reduces the quality of life. The probability of OCD patients to commit suicide was considered low, and very little attention has been directed toward establishing the role of OCD in suicides. However, the new study is an eyeopener. OCD patients 10 times more likely to commit suicide To study the risk of suicide among people suffering from OCD, the researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden analyzed database of 36,788 patients suffering from the disorder from the Swedish National Patient Register during 1969-2013. They aimed at identifying the risk and protective factors that were linked to suicidal behaviors in the respondents. They found that of the 36,788 OCD patients, 545 had committed suicide and 4,297 had attempted suicide. The study also revealed that the tendency of OCD patients to commit suicide was 10 times higher and the risk of an attempted suicide scaled up five times as compared to the general population. The researchers felt that a previous suicide attempt should serve as a warning signal of similar attempts in the future by OCD patients. Other predictors of such an attempt in these patients could be a personality disorder or a substance use disorder. However, “being a woman, higher socio-economic status, and having
an anxiety disorder were protective factors,� said Lorena Fernåndez de la Cruz, an assistant professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Being extra cautious helps It is always better to be cautious to be on the safer side and realize that even in the absence of other psychiatric conditions, OCD patients have a higher chance to commit suicide, something which the clinicians need to understand. It is imperative to closely monitor such patients, especially those who had already attempted suicide in the past. The researchers felt that the findings could provide ample scope to devise preventive measures to protect OCD people from committing suicide. Recovery roadmap OCD is a common mental health disorder and, like any other psychiatrist condition, it also needs adequate attention and calls for an early treatment. Leaving it untreated for a long time entails further complications and in the worst-case scenario, a suicide attempt. But OCD it is treatable and one can take help from a reputed anxiety treatment rehab. If a loved one is struggling with OCD or any anxiety disorder and you are looking for anxiety disorders treatment in Florida, contact the Florida Helpline for Anxiety for help. You may call at our 24/7 helpline number 855-920-9834 to connect to one of the best anxiety treatment centers in Florida where treatment would be comprehensive and recovery long-term.
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