Although major advancements in treating HIV infection have turned what used to be a death sentence into a manageable chronic condition, many people living with HIV/AIDS still face a dramatically higher risk for suicide, according to a study published in General Psychiatry. The finding came from a review of 40 studies that involved a total of approximately 185,000 adults with HIV or AIDS across the globe. The study team con- cluded that suicide risk is 100 times higher among such patients when compared with the general population. They found that suicide risk among these patients peaks at two specific times: just after HIV diagnosis, and again, when the disease has advanced to AIDS. In the general public, ac- cording to researchers, one of every three individ- uals who contemplates suicide go on to attempt it. And, out of every 286 attempts, one ends in a fatality, with the WHO pegging the annual global suicide rate at 800,000 individuals. However, the investigators found evidence of a much higher risk among people with HIV/AIDS, with one person attempting suicide for every two who think about it. Among every 13 who do attempt it, one ends in a fatality. The team also discovered that for pa- tients with HIV/AIDS living in North America, the incidence rate of suicide attempts is 50 times higher than among those living in Europe.
