Suicide Risk in Mental Illness

🔢 Overall Suicide Risk in Mental Illness

✅ General Estimate:

About 4–10% of people with serious mental illness (SMI) die by suicide over their lifetime.

This is significantly higher than the general population risk: ~0.5–1% lifetime.

But it’s also true that 90–96% of people with mental illness do not die by suicide.

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🎯 By Specific Disorders:

Disorder Suicide Death Rate (Lifetime) Notes

Schizophrenia 5–10% Often occurs in early stages

Bipolar Disorder 10–15% One of the highest risks

Major Depression (severe) 2–6% Risk varies with severity, chronicity

Borderline Personality Disorder 8–10% Impulsivity + mood instability

Anorexia Nervosa 5–20% Highest among all mental disorders

PTSD, OCD, Anxiety <2% Higher than general population, but lower than above

> Note: These are death rates, not attempt rates. Suicide attempts are 10–20× more common than deaths.

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📉 Effect of Therapy or Treatment

This is more difficult to quantify exactly, but here’s what the evidence shows:

✅ People who receive treatment (therapy + medication):

Have a significantly lower suicide risk than those who don’t.

Risk may drop by 30–60% depending on type of care, adherence, and follow-up.

Especially effective are:

Lithium (in bipolar) – can reduce suicide by ~60%

Clozapine (in schizophrenia) – reduces suicide attempts

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – lowers risk especially in depression and PTSD

Regular follow-up – monitoring and early crisis intervention save lives

❌ People who go untreated:

Risk of suicide is substantially higher, especially if they:

Are isolated

Have co-occurring substance use

Lack insight (don’t recognize their illness)

Live in areas with poor access to care

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⚖️ Summary Table

Group % who die by suicide (lifetime)

General population ~0.5–1%

Any mental illness ~4–6%

Serious mental illness (SMI) ~5–10%

SMI with proper treatment ~2–4% (risk cut by ~50%)

SMI without treatment ~8–15% (varies by condition)

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🧠 Key Point:

Mental illness is not a death sentence, but untreated serious disorders carry a real risk of suicide. Treatment saves lives — not just improves them.