Risk factors for suicide revealed
A collaborative study between Lund University in Sweden and Stanford University has revealed that the rate of suicide among men is almost three times that of women.
It also found that being young, single and having a low level of education were stronger risk factors for suicide among men, while mental illness was a stronger risk factor among women.
Unemployment was the strongest social risk factor among women, whereas being single was the strongest among men.
Because the study covered a range of different diseases in both in-patient and out-patient care as well as social factors, the researchers gained insight into which factors are particularly important to bear in mind when assessing the risk of suicide.
“Better strategies are needed for collaboration between different disciplines and wider society in order to reduce the risk of suicide for individuals who suffer from, for example, depression, anxiety, COPD, asthma and certain social risk factors”, said principal investigator Professor Jan Sundquist.
