Chronic pain can lead to suicide

MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) – New pain suggests that debilitating daily pain can be so unbearable that some decide to commit suicide.

More than 25 million American adults suffer from a certain level of daily pain and 10.5 million people suffer considerable pain every day.

In this study, researchers led by Dr. Emiko Petrosky of the US National Center for Injury Prevention and Control analyzed data on more than 123,000 suicides in 18 states between 2003 and 2014.

In 8.8% of these suicides, there were signs of chronic pain. And the percentage went from 7.4% in 2003 to 10.2% in 2014.

According to the study, back pain, cancer-related pain and arthritis account for much of the chronic pain in people who have committed suicide. The research also found that anxiety and depression were diagnosed more often among suicide victims suffering from pain than among those who did not.

More than half (54%) of suicides with chronic pain died from firearm related injuries and 16% from an opioid overdose.

According to the study, among the suicide victims with chronic pain for which toxicological results were available, opioids were much more likely to be present at the time of death than those without pain.

It was published on September 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

But an accompanying editorial suggests that the picture is more complicated than what appears first.

"These findings argue in favor of a more nuanced view of the role of opioids in suicide among pain sufferers," said Mark Ilgen, editor of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan.

"Examination of suicide notes provided by [the researchers] Ilgen emphasizes in the editorial, noting that more than two-thirds of suicidal people with pain mentioned their pain and long suffered from this pain, directly contributing to the suicidal crisis.

"This observation highlights the need to improve the treatment of pain, not only for the direct effect on pain and functioning, but also as a way to bring hope to those suffering from pain chronicle, "he said.

The editorial emphasized that the role of opioids in suicide risk should be explored and that suicide prevention should be a component of care for people with chronic pain.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about chronic pain.