TITLE: Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in People w/
Schizophrenia—"Need for Continuous Suicide-Prevention Efforts for People
w/ Schizophrenia"
Thank you Dr. Pope
-- Forwarded --
The American Psychiatric Association issued the following news release:
Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in People With Schizophrenia, Study Finds
Suicide is the most common cause of death in patients who have
schizophrenia spectrum disorders, a study in Schizophrenia Bulletin has
found.
Marie Stefanie Kejser Starzer, M.D., of Copenhagen University Hospital
and colleagues analyzed data from the OPUS I study, a randomized
controlled trial of 578 patients experiencing their first episode of
psychosis. Patients enrolled in the study between January 1, 1998, and
December 31, 2000. When the patients enrolled, they were between 18 and
45 years old; had received first-time treatment for a diagnosis of
schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, delusional disorder, acute or
transient psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, or nonspecific nonorganic
psychosis; and had not received antipsychotic medication for more than
12 weeks. They were randomized to receive treatment as usual or a
specialized early intervention that consisted of two years of assertive
community treatment (including family involvement, social skills
training, and psychoeducation) by a multidisciplinary team. Patients
were then assessed multiple times over a 20-year period.
By the end of 2021, 14.2% of the patients had died. Of those, 48.6% died
of external causes (for example, suicide or accidents) and 51.4% died of
medical conditions and diseases.
The most common cause of death was suicide, accounting for 27.8% of
deaths; followed by accidents at 13.9%; unspecified medical
abnormalities at 11.1%; and cardiovascular disease and cancer, both at 8.3%.
Death due to external causes, mostly suicide, occurred at a steady rate
throughout the study, whether the patients had received treatment as
usual or the specialized early intervention. Starzer and colleagues
wrote that this indicates a need for continuous suicide-prevention
efforts for people with schizophrenia.
“Early intervention services alone cannot address this issue, as the
risk [was] present long after [the specialized early intervention]
ended,” they wrote. “Perhaps more regular screening for suicide risk in
aging patients with schizophrenia could help prevent some of these late
suicides.”
Patients with a history of substance use had a higher risk of both
all-cause mortality and death from medical conditions and diseases.
“This underlines the importance of proper treatment of comorbid
substance use at any time after patients are diagnosed,” the researchers
wrote. They noted that the treatment of mental illness and the treatment
of substance use are often managed by separate entities. “Lack of
integrated treatment could be leading to suboptimal care for
dual-diagnosis patients, and a more multidimensional and non-categorical
treatment approach is needed.”
TITLE: Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in People w/
Schizophrenia—"Need for Continuous Suicide-Prevention Efforts for People
w/ Schizophrenia"
Thank you Dr. Pope
-- Forwarded --
The American Psychiatric Association issued the following news release:
Suicide Most Common Cause of Death in People With Schizophrenia, Study Finds
Suicide is the most common cause of death in patients who have
schizophrenia spectrum disorders, a study in Schizophrenia Bulletin has
found.
Marie Stefanie Kejser Starzer, M.D., of Copenhagen University Hospital
and colleagues analyzed data from the OPUS I study, a randomized
controlled trial of 578 patients experiencing their first episode of
psychosis. Patients enrolled in the study between January 1, 1998, and
December 31, 2000. When the patients enrolled, they were between 18 and
45 years old; had received first-time treatment for a diagnosis of
schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, delusional disorder, acute or
transient psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, or nonspecific nonorganic
psychosis; and had not received antipsychotic medication for more than
12 weeks. They were randomized to receive treatment as usual or a
specialized early intervention that consisted of two years of assertive
community treatment (including family involvement, social skills
training, and psychoeducation) by a multidisciplinary team. Patients
were then assessed multiple times over a 20-year period.
By the end of 2021, 14.2% of the patients had died. Of those, 48.6% died
of external causes (for example, suicide or accidents) and 51.4% died of
medical conditions and diseases.
The most common cause of death was suicide, accounting for 27.8% of
deaths; followed by accidents at 13.9%; unspecified medical
abnormalities at 11.1%; and cardiovascular disease and cancer, both at 8.3%.
Death due to external causes, mostly suicide, occurred at a steady rate
throughout the study, whether the patients had received treatment as
usual or the specialized early intervention. Starzer and colleagues
wrote that this indicates a need for continuous suicide-prevention
efforts for people with schizophrenia.
“Early intervention services alone cannot address this issue, as the
risk [was] present long after [the specialized early intervention]
ended,” they wrote. “Perhaps more regular screening for suicide risk in
aging patients with schizophrenia could help prevent some of these late
suicides.”
Patients with a history of substance use had a higher risk of both
all-cause mortality and death from medical conditions and diseases.
“This underlines the importance of proper treatment of comorbid
substance use at any time after patients are diagnosed,” the researchers
wrote. They noted that the treatment of mental illness and the treatment
of substance use are often managed by separate entities. “Lack of
integrated treatment could be leading to suboptimal care for
dual-diagnosis patients, and a more multidimensional and non-categorical
treatment approach is needed.”