Erlangsen et al identified risk factors for suicide in a patient with a neurological disorder. These can help to identify a patient who may benefit from more aggressive management. The authors are from multiple institutions in Denmark, England, Australia and the United States.
Patient selection: neurological disorder
Risk factors for suicide in a patient with a neurological disorder:
(1) male sex
(2) first few months after the diagnosis of the neurological disorder
(3) distress
(4) depression
Neurological disorders with excess risk:
(1) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
(2) Huntington's disease (chorea)
(3) multiple sclerosis
(4) head injury
(5) stroke
(6) epilepsy
(8) dementia (early)
(9) meningitis or encephalitis
(10) Parkinson's disease
(11) polyneuropathy
(12) Guillain-Barre syndrome
Neurological disorders with lower risk:
(1) Alzheimer's disease
(2) dementia (beyond first few months)
(3) intellectual disability
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