Nervousness, Anxiety Predict Suicide
August 11, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A bad case of the nerves could spell more trouble for men than women, Swedish researchers find.
Their study of more than 34,000 people shows men with high levels of nervousness and anxiety are nine-times more likely to attempt suicide over the next five years then men with lower levels of these stressors. Women are affected as well, but to a much lesser extent. The study indicates women only have a three-times increased risk.
The research is based on an annual survey conducted among Swedes between ages 16 and 75. Overall, people with severe nervousness and anxiety were about twice as likely to actually take their own lives and between three- and four-times as likely to be admitted to the hospital for mental health problems.
Interestingly, the mental health issues were a bigger risk factor for death from all causes in men than either smoking or having a long-term illness. Smoking and long-term illness remained more important in predicting death among women.
The authors of the study believe these findings raise a lot of red flags, especially because statistics in Sweden show the rate of nervousness and anxiety nearly doubled from 12 percent of the population in the late 1980s to 22 percent in the early part of this century.
SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2006;59:794-798
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High Anxiety Can Be Deadly
It increases men's suicide risk ninefold, and triples the risk for women
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Highly anxious and nervous men are nine times more likely to attempt suicide within the next five years, and anxious and nervous women are three times more likely to do so, a new Swedish study finds.
The study involved 34,500 people taking part in the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions. Among other things, the people were asked whether, and to what degree, they suffered from nervousness and anxiety.
Over a five-year period, people who'd reported severe anxiety and nervousness problems were twice as likely to die and three to four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment of mental health problems, compared to people who did not suffer from anxiety or nervousness.
Among men, severe anxiety/nervousness outranked both smoking and longstanding illness as a greater risk factor for death from all causes over five to 10 years. The risk of suicide among men with severe anxiety/nervousness also increased over time, becoming 15 times greater after 10 years.
Among the women, smoking and longstanding illness were greater risk factors for death than anxiety/nervousness, the study found.
Reporting in the September issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the Swedish teams note that the rate of reported anxiety/nervousness in Sweden increased from 12 percent of the population in 1988-1989 to 22 percent in 2000-2001.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about anxiety.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: BMJ Specialist Journals, news release, August 11, 2005
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