Rise in Suicidal Thoughts After BreakUp, Study Says

Both men and women are more likely to entertain suicidal thoughts after the end of a romantic relationship, a new study reveals.

Researchers at the Australian National University found that those who have had a breakup are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts within a year.   The rise in suicidal thoughts is mostly due to the trauma of a marriage or de-facto relationship breakup, along with the changes that occur in social networks directly hampering their sense of belonging.

The researchers through this finding highlight the need for both government and health services to target mental health services for those who have recently been separated from their partners.

The study that was initiated in 2000 included over 6,000 people of ages 20-64 from Canberra and Queanbeyan. As a part of the study the researchers looked at periods before and after the breakup and checked whether there was any increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

They plan on continuing follow up interviews every four years until 2020.  The researchers noticed that four years before break up, the risk of having suicidal thoughts soared. These thoughts got more prevalent after the end of the romantic relationship.

The rate of suicidal thoughts and behavior was extremely common among people who were in their twenties, while those in their sixties had the lowest rate of suicidal thoughts.  The risk was high among those in their 20s because they were more likely to have recent or looming separations.

People who entered their second year of separation experienced lower rate of suicidal thoughts and the risk further dropped after five years of separation.

"The prevalence of suicidal thoughts among recently separated men and women is three times higher than for those who remain married, or in de-facto relationships," lead author of the study Dr Philip Batterham, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research. "It is important to intervene early, to reduce suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviours, before they end up as a suicide."

The finding was documented in Social Science & Medicine.