People Diagnosed With Early Onset Dementia Are at Higher Risk for Suicide
The risk of suicide is nearly seven times higher after a diagnosis of young-onset (under the age of 65) dementia, according to a new UK study published online October 3 in JAMA Neurology. The risk of suicide was also higher within the first few months of diagnosis and in people who had previously been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.“These findings suggest that memory clinics should particularly target suicide risk assessment to patients with young-onset dementia, patients in the first few months after dementia diagnosis, and patients already known to have psychiatric problems,” said the study's lead author, Danah Alothman, BMBCh, MPH, of the University of Nottingham, in a press release.“The findings of this study are important for helping to raise public awareness about how devastating it is to receive a…