"Suicide is a cause of death that haunts the living in perpetuity. After a suicide event, those left behind are tormented by questions. "Could I have done something?" "What did I miss?" "How could this happen?" "Was it my fault?" Even the best answers fail to return the person lost, and natural grief is often compounded with unnecessary blame. Discussions about suicide prediction and prevention primarily focus on known risk factors such as mental illness and suicidal ideation. 1"
"In comparison, far less attention is paid to another common contributor to suicide present among a staggering 24.3 percent of the adult U.S. population. 2 That makes this risk factor as prevalent as clinical depression, yet far more likely to be overlooked due to suicide stereotypes. This unheralded suicide risk factor is chronic pain. 3 In this post, we'll dive into three specific ways that chronic pain increases suicide risk, practical signs by which to recognize the patterns, and general strategies to help."
Suicide leaves lasting torment for survivors who struggle with guilt, unanswered questions, and compounded grief. Prevention efforts commonly emphasize mental illness and suicidal ideation, while chronic pain affects about 24.3% of U.S. adults and constitutes an equally prevalent but underrecognized risk factor. Chronic pain undermines fulfillment of fundamental human needs—meaning, interpersonal connection, safety, contribution, personal growth, and adventure—eroding emotional wellbeing across cultures. The interaction of persistent physical suffering and loss of valued activities creates elevated hopelessness, social withdrawal, and psychological strain that can increase suicide risk. Identifying pain-driven psychological patterns and tailoring interventions to restore connection, meaning, and functional capacity supports more personalized prevention and care.
Read at Psychology Today
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