Risk for Suicide Attempt Increased in Association With Head Injuries

MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Head injuries are associated with an increased risk for suicide attempt, according to a study published in the Jan. 27 issue of Neurology.

Tiffany E. Gooden, M.P.H., Ph.D., from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a 20-year population-based matched cohort study to examine whether people with head injuries have a higher risk for suicide compared with those without head injuries. Adults with head injuries were matched to those without a head injury by age, sex, and geographic location in a 1:4 ratio.

The researchers found 5,107 suicide attempts were recorded among 389,523 people with head injuries compared with 9,815 among 1,489,675 adults without head injury (incidence rate, 2.4 versus 1.6 per 1,000 person-years), resulting in an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.21. The first 12 months after head injury, higher deprivation, and history of a mental health condition were risk factors for suicide attempt. For death by suicide, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.74; after controlling for competing risk for death, this finding became nonsignificant. All subgroups investigated had a higher risk for suicide attempt, including those without any baseline mental health condition.

“Our findings show that the impact of head injuries not limited to just physical symptoms or repercussions. They can have profound psychological consequences. Suicide risk assessments should be considered for anyone with a recent head injury, regardless of their mental health history, to improve and safeguard patient outcomes,” lead author Nicola J. Adderley, M.P.H., Ph.D., also from the University of Birmingham, said in a statement.

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