Young adults with schizophrenia have highest suicide risk: Study

A new study has found that young adults with schizophrenia have the highest suicide risk and those aged 65 and older have the lowest. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'JAMA Psychiatry'. This study from Columbia looked at a large population of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia. It found that the youngest group (18-34) had the highest suicide risk and those aged 65 and older had the lowest. The Columbia study also showed that people with schizophrenia, overall, have a 4.5-fold increased risk of dying from suicide.

The study provides a significant amount of data on age and suicide risk, could help suicide prevention efforts for people with schizophrenia. To conduct their research, the study's authors examined the records of 668,836 people diagnosed with schizophrenia aged 18 years and over. All were covered by Medicare.

Young people with schizophrenia are more likely to experience suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, substance use disorders, inpatient mental health admissions, and emergency department visits. The authors noted that suicide prevention for all with schizophrenia may be improved by expanding access to the antipsychotic clozapine, making early psychosis detection programs more widely available, and using cognitive behavioral therapy to counter hallucinations and reduce suicidal symptoms.