Suicide Risk Higher Among Those Who Spent Time In Prison

Recent findings published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reveal that those who've spent time in prison are also at an increased risk of committing suicide.

For the study, researchers at the Karolinska Institute compared data from 27,000 people who were released from Swedish prisons between 2005 and 2009 to 27,000, and matched them up with the general population.

Findings revealed that those who served prison sentences were up to 18 times more likely than the general population to commit suicide, with many suffering from a history of previous suicide attempts, along with drug addiction.

"Our findings might be able to provide guidance in assessing suicide risk and for suicide prevention efforts by health care, probation services and social services for persons previously in prison care. Having been released from prison is an independent risk factor for suicide, even if the release is a few years in the past," said esearcher Axel Haglund, senior consultant in psychiatry and doctoral student at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institute, in a news release. "One possible explanation is that those who have been in prison did not seek or receive treatment for their depression, which was thus under-treated. Another possible explanation is that it is primarily substance abuse and not depression that leads to suicide in individuals who have served a prison sentence. This is something that there is cause to look at further at in future studies."

If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts-don't wait. Get help now. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.