Familial Coaggregation of Suicide, Accidental Death, and Major Psychiatric Disorders in First-Degree Relatives of Individuals Dying Accidentally

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the risks of suicide, accidental death, and major psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of people who die accidentally. Evidence has shown that the endophenotypes of impulsivity and risk-taking are known to coaggregate with major psychiatric disorders, suicide, and accidental deaths within families.

Methods

In total, 136,011 FDRs of individuals who died from accidents and 544,044 individuals matched for age and sex who served as a control group were included in the present study. The relative risks of accidental death and suicide were assessed between these groups. Differences in the frequencies of major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between the groups were also identified.

Results

The FDRs of individuals who died from accidents were more likely to themselves die from accidents (relative risk [RR] = 4.62) and by suicide (RR = 1.54) compared with individuals in the control group. The FDRs of individuals who died from accidents had an increased risk of developing schizophrenia (RR = 1.24), bipolar disorder (RR = 1.18), major depressive disorder (RR = 1.26), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (RR = 1.10) compared with the FDRs of individuals who did not die from accidents.

Conclusion

Our findings may serve as a reminder to public health officials and clinicians to monitor closely the mental health of the FDRs of individuals who die from accidents.