Suicide more likely in frequent-attenders at General Practitioners
April 24, 2014
According to a new study by researchers at the University of Manchester, a high frequency of visits to a General Practitioner (GP) [equivalent to a primary care provider in the United States] is a predictor for an increased risk of suicide. In Suicide in Primary Care in England: 2002–2011, the researchers report that more visits to the doctor correlated with a higher incidence of suicide, especially visits in the two to three months before a suicide. The highest risk was among patients who consulted with their physician more than 24 times in the year before dying by suicide. Louis Appleby, who led the research, said: “We have identified that frequent attendance can be a marker for risk, as can receiving different kinds of mental health drugs. GPs could therefore use frequent attendance and a need to change or add drugs as flags to help alert them to possible risks.” Not having visited a GP at all for the past year was also associated with an elevated risk for suicide. The research looked at 2,384 patients who died by suicide over 10 years and matched these with 46,899 living patients of similar age, gender, and GP practice.
Spark Extra! Learn more about the study, Suicide in Primary Care in England: 2002–2011