Lifetime Prevalences of Physical Diseases and Mental Disorders in Young Suicide Victims

This study was a follow-up based on a 13-year database of 1,585 suicides occurring between 1988-2000 in the province of Oulu in northern Finland. Subjects comprised 202 male & 27 females aged 25 years or less. Despite the young age of subjects, lifetime prevalence of physical illness was about 70% in both males & females. In relation to mental disorders, female suicide victims were affected significantly more than their male counterparts. About 27% of subjects with physical illness had also suffered from mental disorders. (21 refs.)