A world’s most comprehensive meta-analysis in depression and mortality, led by the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has found that people with depression have twice the risk of death than those without depression, and a nearly 10-fold increased risk of suicide. However, timely and effective treatment can significantly reduce these risks and improve survival rates. This study analysed data from 268 cohort studies, covering over 10 million people living with depression and nearly 2.8 billion controls, making it the largest research of its kind to date. The findings were published in the international journal World Psychiatry.

A University of Sydney-led study published today has found 42 percent of Australian adults — more than eight million people — experienced a traumatic event as children. Those affected have a 50 percent higher risk of developing a mental health or substance use disorder than the wider population, the research found. They are more likely to experience anxiety, depression or panic disorder later in life, with more than one in ten projected to attempt suicide.

Depression in young adulthood has a stronger hereditary component and is associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts than depression that begins later in life, according to a new study published in Nature Genetics by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among others.

A federally funded clinical trial to evaluate an intervention to prevent suicides among people recently released from jail reduced suicide attempts by 55%.

A new study led by Swansea University reveals that individuals diagnosed with a gambling disorder are significantly more likely to die by suicide. The findings highlight missed opportunities for early intervention and underscore the need for better screening and support systems to reduce gambling-related harm and save lives.

People who have been treated in psychiatric care against their will are at increased risk of taking their own lives after hospital discharge. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. The results highlight a need for follow-up care after discharge.