Relatively High Suicide Rate Among People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Some reports have suggested that people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have higher risks for suicide and cancer-related mortality than does the general population.

Researchers identified 2147 patients with CFS in a large population registry. During a 7-year window, all-cause and cancer-associated mortality in CFS patients was not different from age- and sex-standardized mortality ratios in the overall population. However, the suicide rate was nearly sevenfold higher in people with CFS, and, not surprisingly, suicide incidence was particularly elevated in CFS patients with concomitant depression. However, the absolute annual rate of suicide for people with CFS was about 1 suicide per 1000 people — a rate lower than that report…