Suicide: epidemiology and risk factors

What it is

Females attempt suicide more often than males. However, males are more likely to kill themselves by committing suicide. So the sex that attempts more is not the sex that dies more.

Causes and risk

Four things are put together about suicide and all of them are true. Common causes include depression and alcoholism. The presence of a serious physical illness is a risk factor. It is more common among old males. And hospitalization is essential.

Depression is the most common condition associated with suicide.

Nearly 5% of people who commit suicide have been diagnosed with a serious physical illness. Suicide rates are high among those diagnosed with AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, traumatic brain injuries, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. The suicide rate in patients with AIDS is nearly seven times greater than that in the general population.

In many of these medical conditions, pain is often a contributing factor in the patient's decision to commit suicide, and pain is named as the most common contributing factor among all of these.