Sleep problems linked to suicide

[Naveed Yaseen]

Doctors are being warned to be vigilant if a patient reports disturbed sleep - even if they have no history of mental health problems.

The more types of sleep disturbances people had, the more likely they were to have thoughts of killing themselves, or actually try to do so quoting a US based study BBC reported.

The study will be presented at a World Psychiatric Association meeting. This study reinforces the fact that good sleep is vital for good physical, mental and emotional health.

The World Health Organisation estimates that about 877,000 people worldwide die by suicide every year. For every death up to 40 suicide attempts are made. Scientists have consistently linked sleep disturbances to an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in people with psychiatric disorders and in adolescents. But it has been unclear whether the association also exists in the general adult population.

A University of Michigan team examined the relationship over one year between sleep problems, and suicidal behaviour in 5,692 Americans. During the course of the year 2.6% of the sample had suicidal thoughts, and 0.5% were recorded as making a suicide attempt.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=173332