Neurotic symptoms, stress, or deprivation: which is most closely associated with incidence of suicide? An ecological study of English Health Authorities

Psychol Med. 2002 Aug;32(6):1131-6. doi: 10.1017/s0033291702005573.

Abstract

Background: Suicide rates, anxiety/depression scores and stress scores are routinely used as mental health indicators in populations, but their inter-relationships have not been explored. Our aim was to explore the association of suicide rates with anxiety/depression and stress scores, while also referring to deprivation scores, which are known to be linked to suicide rates.

Methods: We undertook an ecological analysis of English Health Authorities, regressing suicide rates (1993-1994), on General Health Questionnaire and stress scores (1994), and also on Jarman deprivation scores (1991).

Results: Overall, Jarman deprivation score was a better predictor of suicide rate than the psychological distress measures. There were no statistically significant associations between suicide rates and GHQ scores, although there was a weak association between suicide rate and mean stress level in women.

Conclusions: Suicide rates, though important in themselves, are not reliable indicators of the levels of neurotic symptoms or stress in populations. Suicide rates are more strongly associated with area-based measures of social disadvantage, though a possible stress-suicide relationship in women could be investigated further.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Neurotic Disorders / complications
  • Neurotic Disorders / psychology*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Social Environment*
  • Social Support
  • Stress, Psychological / complications
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology*
  • Suicide / psychology*
  • Suicide / statistics & numerical data
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology