Suicide in HIV-Infected Individuals and the General Population in Switzerland, 1988-2008

The authors examined time trends & predictors of suicide before (1988-1995) & after (1996-2008) the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. From 1998-2008, 15,275 patients were followed in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study for a median duration of 4.7 years. Of these, 150 died by suicide. In men, standardised mortality ratios declined from 13.7 to 3.5 & in women, the ratios declined from 11.6 to 5.7. In both periods, suicide rates tended to be higher in older patients, in men, in injection drug users, & in patients with advanced clinical stage of HIV illness. Suicide rates decreased significantly with the introduction of the therapy but remained above the rate observed in the general population. (41 refs.) JA