People with tic disorders face increased suicide risk
A new study found that people with chronic tic disorder or Tourette are four times more exposed to suicide risk than the rest of the population.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed patients with tic disorder over four decades. The data showed that tic disorders are associated with an increased risk of suicide in their own right.
“The results highlight an under-recognized mental health need in people with Tourette’s and chronic tic disorders,” said first author Dr. Lorena Fernández de la Cruz, from the Karolinska Institute, referring to the scarce attention that suicide in tic disorders has received despite the substantial link between psychiatric illness and death by suicide.
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These type of disorders typically emerge around the age of 4 or 6 and often resolve in young adulthood. Researchers found that a persistent diagnosis of a tic disorder into adulthood was the strongest predictor of suicide risk.
A previous suicide attempt was also a strong predictor of death by suicide, and patients with tic disorders were nearly four times more likely to attempt suicide than people in the comparison group.
Normally Tic disorders affect more boys than girls, but the researchers observed that the risk of suicide was the same for both sexes. They also assessed the impact on risk of other psychiatric disorders that commonly coincide with tic disorders, and found that comorbid personality disorders increased the risk of suicide by nearly threefold.
“The medical risks of tic spectrum disorders have been downplayed in the media, where individuals with tics may be portrayed in humorous ways. However, suicide is no laughing matter and the study by Fernández de la Cruz is a wake-up call for many about the potential seriousness of tic spectrum disorders,” said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.
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