Anxiety Disorders and Suicide Attempts

Are panic and other anxiety disorders, independent of further psychiatric comorbidities, associated with an increased risk for suicidal behavior? Research studies have produced divergent results. These investigators examined the question by using data from a large epidemiological study with a long (13-year) follow-up.

Of the original 3481 adult respondents from the Baltimore site of the 1981 Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) survey, 1920 were reassessed 13 years later. The investigators studied new cases of suicidal behavior and therefore excluded individuals with any history of suicidal ideation or attempts at baseline. Those with first-onset suicide attempts during the follow-up period were significantly more likely to have had at least o…