https://goo.gl/CzPjKz
People with Tourette’s disorder or chronic tic disorder are over four times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to a new study in Biological Psychiatry. Dr. David Mataix-Cols of Karolinska Institute, Sweden, led the study of the largest group of patients with tic disorders in the world.
The study sample included 7,736 patients from the Swedish National Patient Register diagnosed with tic disorders over four decades. Compared with 77,360 people from the general population, the increased risk remained even after taking other psychiatric comorbidities into account, showing 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, also of 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. The authors hope the alarming risk found in the disorder will contribute to the clinical management of these patients.