Is CTE really the main reason behind the rise in NFL player suicides?

"When an NFL player takes his own life, there is often speculation about why. Injuries and unemployment a common occurrence in a violent sport where players are frequently traded and cut have been linked with increased risks of suicidal ideation. In parallel to those factors, however, exists chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). A degenerative brain condition caused by repeated trauma to the head, CTE's links with football are established and almost impossible to ignore."

"Players ranging from widely admired Pro Bowlers such as Junior Seau and Dave Duerson, to those infamous for more notorious reasons, such as Aaron Hernandez and Phillip Adams, were all confirmed to have CTE by autopsies. (The condition can only be diagnosed posthumously.) All four players killed themselves. Such anecdotal observations imply a certain, coherent logic that connects playing football with suicide."

"Tackle football, by its nature, increases participants' risk of head injury. Head injuries increase the likelihood of an affected individual attempting suicide. CTE is often the cumulative consequence of years of head injuries and, indeed, many high-profile NFL players who have taken their own lives have been confirmed to suffer from CTE. So it's easy to reason that football and/or CTE, by their very nature, lead to an increased risk of suicide."

"But a new study says other factors are at play. To put it more precisely: the study says data does not support the notion that CTE is the only cause of NFL players' increased risk of suicide. The findings were published in January by members of Harvard's ongoing Football Player Health Study (FPHS), a diverse group of neuroscientists, former NFL players and others who have been examining the health and wellbeing of professional football players since 2014."

Repeated head trauma from tackle football can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition diagnosed only after death. Autopsies of multiple NFL players who died by suicide have confirmed CTE, including widely known Pro Bowlers and other high-profile cases. Head injuries increase the likelihood of suicidal behavior, and CTE can accumulate over years of impacts. Despite this coherent logic, a new analysis from the Football Player Health Study reports that available data does not support the idea that CTE alone explains the higher suicide risk among NFL players. Other factors may contribute alongside CTE and related head injuries.

Read at www.theguardian.com