Nervousness, worry may predict suicide attempt

Men and women who describe themselves as nervous or anxious seem to be more likely than their calmer counterparts to be hospitalized at some point for a suicide attempt, according to a study involving adults in Sweden.

“Health personnel should pay attention to patient anxiety in their diagnostic procedures, especially among men,” said study co-author Dr. Mans Rosen, of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare in Stockholm. “Self-perceived anxiety is a rather good predictor of premature mortality and severe morbidity.”

In Sweden, the proportion of people reporting nervousness, uneasiness and anxiety jumped to 22 percent in 2001-2002, up from 12 percent in 1988-1989, according to a national survey of living conditions.

“We do not know if the prevalence of anxiety has increased to the same extent in other countries as in Sweden,” according to Rosen, “but if this is the case… this is an alarm signal for society indicating that tougher and more stressful demands on citizens may create more serious health problems in the future.” Previous studies suggest that self-reported psychological state may predict a person’s risk of death and ill health.

Rosen and co-author Dr. Gunilla Ringback Weitoft analyzed survey responses from a total of 34,511 men and women aged 16 to 74 years who participated in national surveys conducted in 1980-1981, 1988-1989 and 1995-1996.

Almost 14 percent of women reported experiencing “light” problems with nervousness, anxiety, and uneasiness and nearly 4 percent said their problems were “severe” in comparison to 7 percent and 2 percent of men, respectively.

Altogether, study participants who reported experiencing nervousness, anxiety and uneasiness had an increased risk for later suicide attempt and psychiatric disease, the researchers report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Men who reported severe problems with worries and anxiety were more than 9 times as likely to be hospitalized for a suicide attempt as men unaffected by such problems, even after the researchers took into consideration any longstanding illness. Women with similarly severe nervousness, uneasiness and anxiety had a three-fold increased risk of a suicide attempt.

The risk of suicide attempt grew even stronger with time, such that for men in particular, nervousness and anxiety was associated with a 15-fold increased risk of attempted suicide during the 10-year follow-up period.

In fact, severe nervousness or anxiety problems among men more strongly predicted their risk of death from all causes in a 5- or 10-year time frame than did smoking or longstanding illness, the researchers note.

Among women, however, longstanding illness, rather than negative emotions, was the factor that most increased their risk of suicide attempt, death from all causes, or inpatient care.

Still, in light of the findings, Rosen said: “If you have a family member, a friend or a work companion who often feels nervousness and anxiety you should take their worries seriously and in some cases suggest to them to contact medical care for further investigations.”

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2005.

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