Do cancer suicides differ from others?

Abstract

Based on a nationwide psychological autopsy study comprising all suicides committed in Finland during one year (n = 1397), victims who had suffered from cancer (n = 60) were compared with other suicides. Cancer suicides were significantly older and more often male, which required adjusting the control group (n = 60) for age and sex. The cancer suicides had more pain and were more often physically disabled. The social network of cancer patients was stronger: 93% of them and 65% of the control cases had a significant other. Family histories of mental disorder were more common in the control group. Cancer was the main underlying factor in the suicide process in 62% of the cancer patients and a contributing factor in 23%. Background factors of the suicide process of the cancer patients with terminal illness (n = 18) were different from those with cancer in remission and from victims among the general population. The frequency of physical symptoms and of depression before suicide in cancer patients emphasizes the need for more competent palliative care and psychological support for cancer patients. METHOD SubjectsThis study was carried out in Finland (population 5 million), a country with a high suicide mortality (

Suicide Tendency in Cancer Patients

“…The explanation for the absence of differences between the three groups in terms of suicide tendency, therefore, may rely on the copingwith-stress model that emphasizes the impact of social support on coping with stress (Cohen & Lazarus, 1979). Although Hietanen et al (1994) found that almost all cancer patients who commit suicide are in close contact with a significant other, our findings, indicating the social support is greater for patients with recurrence, point to the potential impact of such support in thwarting suicide tendency and depression. Social support can serve as a buffer by guarding against the detrimental effects of stressors on suicide tendency or depression (Adam, 1990;Casey, 1997).…”

“…Breitbart (1990) identifies additional factors: depression, pain, loss of control, a pre-existing psychopathological condition, prior suicidal history (personal or family), exhaustion, and mental fatigue. The study by Hietanen et al (1994) indicates that frequency of pain is far higher among suicides due to cancer (100 percent) than among suicides in control groups that have other illnesses (40 percent). Breitbart (1990) emphasizes, however, that 50 percent of cancer patients who committed suicide were found to have had a prior psychiatric background, based on reports by families and medical teams.…”

“…Yet, Hietanen et al (1994) point out that almost all cancer patients who commit suicide are in close contact with a significant other, and that this does not prevent suicide. In fact, this study indicates that 93 percent of cancer patients who committed suicide did so in the presence of family members or a significant other.…”

“…Breitbart (1990) claims that the rate of cancer patients who commit suicide is similar to the proportion of cancer patients in the general population (of the 17 percent of the population who die by suicide, only 6 percent are cancer patients), despite the fact that many cancer patients express the wish to do so. However, another study, by Hietanen, Lonnqvist, Henriksson, and Jallinoja. (1994), indicates that among the chronically or terminally ill, cancer is the main factor in suicides: 62 percent of all cases.…”

Are cancer patients at higher suicide risk than the general population? A nationwide register study in Sweden from 1965 to 1999

“…Cancer patients must face several forms of distress, which might lead to the patient feeling depressed or experiencing anxiety [2,3]. This is very much the case for cancer suicide victims, who often suffer from severe mental disorders, particularly depression, in addition to pain and physical disability at the time of death [4,5]. Large-scale epidemiological studies have also found cancer patients to be at significantly higher risk of suicide than the general population [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”