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Bereavement by suicide increases risk for attempted suicide

Young adults bereaved by suicide had an increased risk for suicide attempt compared with peers bereaved by sudden unnatural causes or sudden natural causes.

“Our results highlight the profound impact that suicide might have on friends and family members,” Alexandra Pitman, MSc, of University College London, United Kingdom, said in a press release. “However, these outcomes are by no means inevitable. If you have been bereaved by suicide, you should know that you are not alone and support is available.”

To assess whether young adults bereaved by suicide have an increased risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt compared with peers bereaved by other sudden deaths, researchers conducted a national cross-sectional study of 3,432 individuals aged 18 to 40 years. Study participants were bereaved by suicide (n = 614), sudden unnatural causes (n = 712) or sudden natural causes (n = 2,106).

Participants bereaved by suicide had a higher probability of attempting suicide (adjusted OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.12-2.42; P = .012) than those bereaved by sudden natural causes.

Participants bereaved by sudden unnatural causes did not have increased risk for suicide attempt.

Suicidal ideation did not differ among any group.

The effect of suicide bereavement did not differ based on relation to the deceased.

The association between suicide bereavement and suicide attempt became insignificant when adding perceived stigma (aOR = 1.11; 95% CI, 0.74-1.67; P = .61).

Compared with participants bereaved by sudden unnatural causes, suicide attempt did not significantly differ among those bereaved by suicide (aOR = 1.48; 95% CI, 0.94-2.33; P = .089).

“British people can be very uncomfortable talking about death, and suicide in particular is often perceived as a taboo subject,” Pitman said in the release. “However, avoiding the subject can make a bereaved person feel very isolated and stigmatized, and sometimes even blamed for the death. People bereaved by suicide should not be made to feel in any way responsible, and should be treated with the same compassion as people bereaved by any other cause. Suicide is a complex issue and there is often no simple explanation for why someone chooses to take their own life. Although one often hears people refer to a relationship break-up or a redundancy as the trigger for a suicide, this is far too simplistic and in reality it is often a culmination of different life events rather than one individual ‘cause.’” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.