Dementia diagnosis fallout
Patients newly diagnosed with dementia are at increased risk of attempting suicide, new US research confirms.
According to the longitudinal cohort study, recently published in JAMA Psychiatry, it is that period directly after the diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, when patients are particularly at risk. Once that initial period has passed the risk appears to revert to being the same or less than the general population, the researchers found.
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The study involved almost 150, 000 adults, average age almost 75 years, from a number of US national databases including participants from the Department of Veteran Affairs. Of the cohort about 21, 000 had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and 63, 000 had a diagnosis of dementia at baseline. The researchers then looked at the incidence of suicide attempts ...
