An examination of the association between physical health conditions and lifetime suicide attempts.
Physical conditions are increasingly recognized as contributors to suicide risk, independent of psychiatric comorbidity. The aim of this study was to descriptively examine the association between a range of lifetime physical conditions and suicide attempts in a large, population-based US sample. Data were analyzed from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III; N = 36,171). Lifetime suicide attempts (n = 1995) were assessed via self-report. Physical conditions were self-reported based on physician diagnosis and included a range of metabolic, infectious, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases. Over 20% of those with arteriosclerosis and hypertension, arthritis, and dyslipidemia, sleep problems, and cardiovascular disease (20.1-27.9%) endorsed a lifetime suicide attempt. With the exception of cancer, all physical conditions were associated with suicide attempts. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors and psychiatric conditions, most associations were attenuated but remained significant (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] range across the significant conditions: 1.16-2.75), with the strongest associations observed for epilepsy and HIV/STIs. Only cancer, osteoporosis, and traumatic brain injury were not significantly associated with suicide attempts in the fully adjusted models. Increasing number of health conditions was also significantly associated with suicide attempts across all models. Findings may inform suicide prevention efforts by highlighting the need for integrated physical and mental health care, particularly for patients living with multimorbidity. Results were correlational and future research should examine relationships longitudinally.