Suicide rate for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders 170 times higher

The suicide rate for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) is 170 times higher than the general population according a study just published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, a figure the authors call “tragically high.”

The study of 20-years of population data, believed to be the largest of its kind ever done, examined statistics on over 75,000 patients who received a first diagnosis of SSD. On average, each patient was followed for almost ten years. The study found several key factors that were predictors of suicide including:

During the first five years after an individual has been diagnosed with SSD

If there was evidence of a mood disorder or hospitalization prior to diagnosis

If the individual was diagnosed with SSD at a later age

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