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TUESDAY, Feb. 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Major depressive disorder (MDD) and noncombat trauma are important factors tied to suicide ideation (SI) risk during combat deployment, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Network Open<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Robert J. Ursano, M.D., from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues assessed suicide ideation, lifetime and 12-month stressors, and mental disorders through a survey of 3,957 U.S. soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that lifetime, past-year, and 30-day SI prevalence estimates were 11.7, 3, and 1.9 percent, respectively. Among soldiers with SI, 44.2 percent had MDD and 19.3 percent had posttraumatic stress disorder in the past 30-day period. White race\/ethnicity (odds ratio [OR], 3.1), lifetime noncombat trauma (OR, 2.1), and MDD (past 30 days: OR, 31.8; before past 30 days: OR, 4.9) were associated with SI. From survey administration through 12 months after returning from deployment, of the 85 soldiers with past 30-day SI, five had a documented suicide attempt versus six of the 3,872 soldiers without SI.<\/p>\n
“Research examining deployment experiences that increase SI in soldiers with past trauma and MDD may assist clinicians and leadership in identifying and treating those at increased risk,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n