Majority of males who die by suicide have no known mental health issues

Majority of males who die by suicide have no known mental health conditions, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Suicide among men is a serious public health issue. Guys accounted for approximately 80% of suicide deaths in the United States in 2019, and suicide was the seventh top cause of death for males aged 10 years and older. Males who commit suicide are less likely than girls to have known mental health issues, therefore identifying preventive points outside of mental health institutions is critical. As a result, Katherine A. Fowler and her colleagues undertook this study to examine suicide characteristics among boys with and without known mental health disorders by age group in order to inform preventive efforts.

The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Appendix Text 1, available online) was analyzed for the three most recent years (2016–2018). The National Vital Statistics System (NVDRS) abstracts death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and law enforcement records following established Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

All of the variables used were typical NVDRS variables. Suicides were defined as deaths caused by purposeful self-harm in people under the age of ten. Adolescents (ages 10–17), young adults (ages 18–34), middle-aged adults (ages 35–64), and elderly people (ages >65) were the age groups studied. The presence of a KMHC was determined using the NVDRS variable identified mental health condition.

The key findings of this study were as follow:

1. The majority of male suicide victims had no recognized mental health issues.

2. Those without documented mental health issues were more likely to die by firearm, and many of them tested positive for alcohol.

3. Relationship troubles, conflicts, and/or a crisis were more common among adolescent, young adult, and middle-aged males without known mental health conditions than among those with known mental health illnesses.

In conclusion, these findings emphasize the necessity of preventing emotionally reactive/impulsive suicides by reducing acute situational stressors. In addition to typical psychiatric markers, suicide prevention programs for men may focus on age-specific triggering events.

Reference:

Fowler, K. A., Kaplan, M. S., Stone, D. M., Zhou, H., Stevens, M. R., & Simon, T. R. (2022). Suicide Among Males Across the Lifespan: An Analysis of Differences by Known Mental Health Status. In American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.02.021