Worldwide prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide plan among people with schizophrenia: a meta-analysis and systematic review of epidemiological surveys

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with high premature mortality rates. This is a meta-analysis and systematic review of the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide plan (SP) among people with schizophrenia. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO were systematically searched from their respective inception to October 10, 2020. Data on prevalence of SI and/or SP were synthesized using the random effects model. Twenty-six studies covering 5079 people with schizophrenia were included for meta-analysis. The lifetime and point prevalence of SI were 34.5% (95% CI: 28.2−40.9%), and 29.9% (95% CI: 24.2−35.6%), respectively. The lifetime prevalence of SP was 44.3% and the point prevalence of SP ranged between 6.4 and 13%. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that source of patients, survey countries, and sample size were significantly associated with the point prevalence of SI, while male proportion and quality assessment scores were significantly associated with the lifetime and point prevalence of SI. Survey time and mean age were significantly associated with lifetime prevalence of SI. Both SI and SP are common in people living with schizophrenia, especially in males and inpatients. Routine screening and effective interventions for SI and SP should be implemented in this population.

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“…At this point, the comparison of the data we obtained from the study with the studies in the literature investigating the prevalence of suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia can be a guide in understanding whether the pandemic period creates an additional negativity. In a recent meta-analysis in patients with schizophrenia, lifetime and point prevalence of suicide thoughts were 34.5% and 29.9%, respectively ( Bai et al, 2021 ). Tourino et al also reported that 1-year prevalence of suicide thoughts was 16.2% in these patients ( Tourino et al, 2018 ).…”

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