Physical activity, sedentary, and healthy dietary behaviours linked to suicidal thoughts

According to World Health Organisation, adolescents who attempt or die by suicide often suffer from feelings of sadness, hopelessness, depression, or other undiagnosed mental health disorders.

Modifiable health risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, and using drugs, have been shown to be associated with poor mental health and suicidal behaviours. However, there are also other important factors that are associated with mental health and suicidal behaviours among adolescents which are physical activity, sedentary and dietary behaviours.

According to research published in Science Direct, focusing on these modifiable behaviours could help schools identify other strategies to benefit the health and well-being of all students, including their mental health outcomes.

The study examined associations between physical activity, sedentary, and healthy dietary behaviours and indicators of mental health, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal attempts among a representative sample of US high school students. The study states that significant associations were found between insufficient physical activity, sedentary, and less healthy dietary behaviours and mental health-related outcomes.

Suicidal thoughts were associated with not eating breakfast on all 7 days, drinking soda or pop, not meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline, playing video/computer games or using a computer more than two hours per day.

The study indicated that “while limiting sedentary behaviours and increasing physical activity and healthy dietary behaviours is not the sole solution for improving mental health among adolescents, it could be another possible strategy used in schools to benefit all students.”

Lifestyle Interventions Linked to suicide risk

Over the past years, there has been a growing interest in the association between lifestyle psychosocial interventions, severe mental illness, and suicide risk. Research that was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry provides a comprehensive review of the literature on lifestyle interventions, mental health, and suicide risk in the general population and in patients with psychiatric disorders.

The research investigated lifestyle behaviours and lifestyle interventions in three different age groups: adolescents, young adults, and the elderly.

Several lifestyle behaviours including cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with suicide risk in all age groups.

In adolescents, growing attention has emerged on the association between suicide risk and internet addiction, cyberbullying, and scholastic and family difficulties.

In adults, psychiatric symptoms, substance and alcohol abuse, weight, and occupational difficulties seem to have a significant role in suicide risk.

Finally, in the elderly, the presence of organic disease and poor social support is associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts.

How are lifestyle and suicide risk connected?

Several factors may explain the association between lifestyle behaviours and suicide. First, many studies have reported that some lifestyle behaviours and their consequences (sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking underweight, obesity) are associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and with poor mental health.

Second, several lifestyle behaviours may encourage social isolation, limiting the development of social networks, and removing individuals from social interactions: increasing their risk of mental health problems and suicide.

The link between sleep patterns and suicidal thoughts

A study conducted by researchers from the University’s School of Health Sciences alongside the University of Oxford indicates that sleep problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviours are connected.

The study revealed three interconnected sleep-related pathways that can lead to suicidal ideation. The first was that being awake at night heightened the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts, which in part was seen because of the lack of help or resources available at night.

Secondly, the research found that a prolonged failure to achieve a good night’s sleep made life harder for respondents, adding to depression, as well as increasing negative thinking, attention difficulties, and inactivity.

Finally, respondents said sleep acted as an alternative to suicide, providing an escape from their problems. However, the desire to use sleep as an avoidance tactic led to increased daytime sleeping which in turn caused disturbed sleeping patterns — reinforcing the first two pathways.

Donna Littlewood, lead author of the study, said the research has implications for service providers, such as healthcare specialists and social services. “Our research underscores the importance of restoring healthy sleep in relation to coping with mental health problems, suicidal thoughts, and behaviours. Additionally, night-time service provision should be a key consideration within suicide prevention strategies, given that this study shows that those who are awake at night are at an increased risk of suicide,” she said.

The link between diet and Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH)

Balanced meals and smoking were the lifestyle behaviours that were found to have the strongest independent association with repeated DSH across the lifespan, according to research published in BMC Psychiatry. Other factors like sex, age, and depression symptoms did not have a strong positive correlation.

Blood biomarkers that can predict suicide risk in major depression

Researchers have developed an approach to identify blood biomarkers that could predict the suicide risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.

The result of the study conducted by A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers, along with members of the Pritzker Research Consortium, demonstrates that non-preserved blood can be used to discover suicide-specific biomarkers using a novel gene expression approach and a gene expression quantification approach less sensitive to the effects of RNA degradation (NanoString). In addition to identifying individuals at the highest risk for suicide, the results can help researchers understand molecular changes in suicide victims.

“These blood biomarkers are an important step toward developing blood tests to identify patients with imminent risk of ending their lives,” said corresponding author Adolfo Sequeira, Ph.D., associate researcher in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at the UCI School of Medicine. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze blood and brain samples in a well-defined population of MDDs demonstrating significant differences in gene expression associated with completed suicide.”

After analyzing data from blood and brain samples from suicide victims, researchers found gene expression changes in stress response, including polyamine metabolism, circadian rhythm, immune dysregulation, and telomere maintenance.