Suicidal behavior in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review

•Studies indicate that individuals with ALS are at a greater risk of suicidal behavior than the general population in all analyzed countries.•Evidence shows that suicidal behavior occurs in the early stages of the disease, especially in the first months following diagnosis.•Major depressive disorder...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of affective disorders 2020-12, Vol.277, p.688-696
Main Authors: Silva-Moraes, Marcel Henrique, Bispo-Torres, Ana Cecília, Barouh, Judah L., Lucena, Pedro H., Armani-Franceschi, Giulia, Dorea-Bandeira, Ingrid, Vieira, Flavia, Miranda-Scippa, Ângela, Quarantini, Lucas C., Lucena, Rita, Bandeira, Igor D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Case-Control Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression
Depressive Disorder, Major
Humans
Major Depressive Disorder
Meta-Analysis as Topic
Motor neuron disease
Quality of Life
Suicidal behavior
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide
Suicide, Attempted
Systematic Reviews as Topic
Wish to die
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•Studies indicate that individuals with ALS are at a greater risk of suicidal behavior than the general population in all analyzed countries.•Evidence shows that suicidal behavior occurs in the early stages of the disease, especially in the first months following diagnosis.•Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often undertreated, leading to this population's increased susceptibility to suicide.•More frequent and systematic mental health screenings could assist individuals with ALS and psychiatric suffering. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) leads to a drastic reduction in quality of life, generating intense psychological distress and predisposing those affected to mental illness and, in more severe cases, suicidal behavior. This is a systematic review aiming to estimate the frequency of wish to die, suicide ideation and suicide in individuals with ALS using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). The following databases were used: Pubmed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS), and Cochrane Library. The choice of appropriate descriptors, or their equivalents, to define the search terms was based on the technical and scientific vocabulary of each database. 13 articles were included in the present systematic review, of which three were cross-sectional studies, nine were cohort-type and there was one case-control study. The studies show that individuals with ALS have a higher risk of suicide in relation to the general population, and there is evidence that this risk is even higher in the early stages of the disease. Major Depressive Disorder was the most prevalent mental disorder in the studies included. This mental health concern is often undertreated, leading to the increased susceptibility of this population to suicide. In general, the study samples represent a highly heterogeneous population while many instruments used in the data collection were not uniform. The high degree of psychological vulnerability of this population, associated with a greater predisposition to suicidal behavior, should be minimized through public health measures.
ISSN:0165-0327
1573-2517
DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.066