Perinatal Depression Triples Risk for Suicidal Behavior

FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers with clinically diagnosed perinatal depression (PND) had a three times higher risk for suicidal behavior than mothers without perinatal depression, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in JAMA Network Open.

Hang Yu, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the association between PND and risk for short- and long-term suicidal behavior. The analysis included 86,551 women with PND (2001 to 2017) and 865,510 unaffected women individually matched on age and calendar year at delivery.

During a median 6.91 years of follow-up, the researchers found that more events of suicidal behavior (incidence rate [IR], 5.62 per 1,000 person-years) were identified among women with PND compared with unaffected women (IR, 1.01 per 1,000 person-years). Compared with unaffected women, women with PND also had an elevated risk for suicidal behavior (hazard ratio [HR], 3.15). Risk was somewhat attenuated when comparing PND women with their PND-free sisters (HR, 2.75). In a matched analysis, the association was greater for postnatal depression and among women without a history of psychiatric disorders. In the first year after diagnosis, the excess risk was pronounced (HR, 7.20), but remained statistically significant over five to 18 years of follow-up (HR, 2.34).

"These findings suggest that vigilant clinical monitoring and interventions are needed for this vulnerable population to prevent such devastating events," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text