Suicide and Mental Disorders

Suicide and mental disorders usually go hand in hand. Studies show that 90 percent of suicides suffered from one or more mental disorders prior to carrying out the act. The most common disorders resulting in suicide are mood disorders. Alcohol and substance abuse disorders are also common contributors to suicidal thoughts or behaviors, as are schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and anxiety disorders.

Mood Disorders

• The most common mood disorders are depression and bipolar disorder. People who suffer from mood disorders are up to twenty times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. Unfortunately, suicides usually occur early in the course of the illness, especially in youth. This is before the individual has had intensive therapy or treatment to cope with their depression.

Substance or Alcohol Abuse

• People who suffer from substance or alcohol abuse disorder have a high rate of suicide. In fact, up to fifty percent of suicides have consumed alcohol at the time of death. Unlike people with mood disorders, individuals with substance or alcohol abuse disorder take their lives in the later stages of the illness.

Schizophrenia

• For schizophrenics, suicide is a lifelong danger. Up to fifty percent of schizophrenics suffer from suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation is thoughts about committing suicide, including detailed plans on how to carry it out. Schizophrenics have usually made previous attempts at suicide and are more likely to kill themselves after being discharged from care or during a period of apparent improvement.

Personality Disorders

• The most common personality disorders are: Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. Often, individuals suffering from personality disorders experience comorbidity. The term "comorbid" refers to the existence of two illnesses occurring in the same individual as in someone being diagnosed both with borderline personality disorder and paranoid disorder. Comorbidity increases the likelihood of suicide.

Eating Disorders

• In this area of mental illness, women with anorexia are at the highest risk of suicide. People with eating disorders usually also exhibit comorbid mental illness, resulting in a higher risk of suicide.

Anxiety Disorders

• Of all mental health disorders, anxiety disorders are the most common. The most common anxiety disorders are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (not to be confused with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder). People who suffer from an anxiety disorder are ten times likelier to commit suicide than someone who is not.