Could improved recognition and treatment of anxiety disorders lead to a reduction in suicide?

Suicide is a significant public health issue. Annually, approximately 800,000—1,000,000 people die by suicide: for each one, there are at least 20 others who attempt it. Traditionally, anxiety disorders were considered to be of little importance in suicide. Data indicating that patients with anxiety disorders can die by suicide may surprise clinicians even today—and certainly did during the 1980s when the first relevant reports emerged. This may be because anxious patients often express concerns about their physical health, or—especially in patients with panic attacks—fear imminent death and strive to avoid it through visiting emergency outpatient clinics, persistently seeking reassurance from medical professionals, and/or adopting dysfunctional safety-seeking behaviors (De La Vega et al., 2018).