Physical Illness and Suicide

Abstract

Suicide is a complex, multifactorial phenomenon and growing public health problem. Most of the physical health problems are rarely the sole cause for a suicide and are often compounded by other issues. The presence of physical conditions is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Aims: To explore about how the physical illness/pain precipitate suicide. Methods: For this, literature has been looked for manually as well as through electronic resources like PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Global Health, Google Scholar, IndMED, JSTOR, and Research Gate. The abstracts of relevant papers were independently examined by author. Out of eighty five, there were fifty two papers met the criteria for the analysis. Conclusion: There is strong association between physical health like “high blood pressure, heart attack/stroke, chronic headache, chronic pain, migraine, back pain, respiratory conditions, epilepsy, cancer, heart disease or attack, stroke, HIV/AIDS, sleep disorders, insomnia, traumatic brain injury, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, neurological conditions, diabetes, osteoporosis, chronic pulmonary disorder, incontinence, renal failure or disease, hearing or vision impairment, congestive heart failure, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma, cerebral infarction and diabetes, chronic ischaemia, gastrointestinal, sensory impairment, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis ,ehlers-Danlos syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme disease, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, restless leg syndrome, liver disease, male genital disorders, arthritis/arthrosis, malignant diseases, Huntington’s disease, stage kidney disease” and suicide. Understanding these associations may help to develop suicide prevention strategies.