Suicide Ideation, Attempts, and Mortality in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) means facing significant obstacles in managing the unpredictable nature of this lifelong condition. Studies highlight a concerning connection between the disease and an elevated risk of suicide. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of suicide and suicide mortality risk in people with MS (PwMS).

Methods:

A comprehensive and systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted. Studies of any design were included if they reported at least one of the following outcomes: (1) the prevalence of suicide ideation, suicide attempts, suicide deaths, and the proportion of suicide deaths among total deaths in MS populations (2) the risk of suicide mortality in PwMS compared to healthy controls.

Results:

The systematic review and meta-analysis included 64 studies across 19 countries, predominantly from Europe and North America, encompassing over 200,000 PwMS. The pooled prevalence of suicide ideation was 22.6% (95% CI: 16.9–28.3). Suicide attempts were reported at 3.4% (95% CI: 1.6–5.2), while suicide mortality was 0.5% (95% CI: 0.3–0.7), accounting for 2.1% (95% CI: 1.5–2.7) of total mortality in PwMS. PwMS had a significantly higher suicide mortality risk compared to healthy controls (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08–2.05).

Conclusion:

This study highlights the elevated suicide mortality risk among PwMS, underscoring the urgent need for integrated mental health care in MS management. Future research should explore the impact of disease-modifying therapies, protective factors, and standardized risk assessment tools to improve early intervention and reduce suicidal behavior in this vulnerable population.