Psychotic Experiences Linked to Higher Suicide Risk

Hallucinations or delusions double the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors later in life and are five to six times greater in children under 12 years.

Healthy people who had a psychotic experience such as hallucinations or delusions were found to be at higher risk for developing suicidal thoughts or attempts later in life, reveals a new international study.

The University of //Queensland-led research found that having a psychotic experience doubled the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

‘Individuals who have had a psychotic experience are at greater risk for attempting suicide later in life.’

UQ Queensland Brain Institute researcher Professor John McGrath said children were at even greater risk.

"The risk of suicidal thoughts was five or six times higher in children under 12 who had experienced psychosis," Professor McGrath said.

The research examined the links between psychotic experiences and suicide risk in the general population, and involved more than 33,000 people in 19 countries.

Hallucinations - Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis, Health Tips
Hallucinations or false perceptions, are often associated with mental disorders and neurological disorders. In the elderly, it occurs with dementia and auditory hallucinations are most common.

"Psychotic experiences appear to be a marker of general psychological distress," Professor McGrath said.

"Our previous research has found that hearing voices and seeing things that others can’t is more common than expected, as about one in 20 people experience this at some point in their lives."

Overview Suicide
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.

Queensland Brain Institute Director Professor Pankaj Sah said the research could have significant impact on public health guidelines for doctors screening for suicide risk.

"Suicide attempts are relatively rare outcomes, but because they are rare they are hard to predict," Professor Sah said.

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Organosphosphorus compounds are used as insecticides and chemical warfare. They are easily accessible, thus they are a commonly associated with suicides and accidental poisoning.

Professor McGrath said questions about psychotic experiences in routine screening could improve prediction of subsequent suicide risk.

He said the higher risks for children under 12 underscored how the pattern of mental disorders changed throughout the lifetime.

Study participants were asked about psychotic experiences, mental disorders, as well as any suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts.

"We were able to adjust the data for a range of common mental disorders, such as depression," Professor McGrath said.

"Even in adjusting for these mental illnesses, people who’d had a psychotic experience still had a greater subsequent suicide risk."

The study was based on community samples, but excluded people diagnosed with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders.

The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry,

Source-Eurekalert