"If You Have a Personality Disorder, the Risk of Extreme Choices Is 7.7 Times Higher"

Suicide Risk in Depression Relatively Lower at 2.98 Times

A study has found that individuals with personality disorders have nearly eight times higher risk of suicide compared to healthy people.

Samsung Seoul Hospital announced on the 27th that a research team led by Professor Jeon Hong-jin from the Department of Psychiatry published their findings on suicide risk associated with mental illnesses in the recent issue of the international journal Molecular Psychiatry.

The research team tracked 3,951,398 adults who underwent health checkups in 2009 using data from the National Health Insurance Service until 2021. Among them, 263,754 had experienced mental illnesses, and 12,290 had engaged in extreme suicidal behavior.

Analysis of their data revealed that individuals with personality disorders had a 7.7 times higher risk of suicide compared to healthy individuals.

Personality disorders are conditions where patterns of thinking or behavior are excessively distorted or biased, causing problems in interpersonal relationships or occupational functioning. These include paranoid personality disorder, characterized by excessive distrust and suspicion of others; histrionic personality disorder, where individuals behave as if they are on stage to attract attention; and borderline personality disorder, marked by unstable self-image, interpersonal relationships, emotions, and impulsivity.

Among other mental illnesses, bipolar disorder was associated with a 6.05 times higher suicide risk compared to healthy adults, schizophrenia 5.91 times, obsessive-compulsive disorder 4.66 times, substance addiction 4.53 times, alcohol addiction 4.43 times, and post-traumatic stress disorder 3.37 times, according to the research team.

Depression, often cited as a leading cause of suicide, showed a relatively lower suicide risk of 2.98 times.

The research team pointed out that patients with personality disorders, estimated to be about 10% of the general population, tend to be indifferent to treatment and often attribute their difficulties to external causes, resulting in fewer actual diagnoses. They emphasized the need for measures addressing the high suicide risk among these individuals.

Professor Jeon Hong-jin stated, "Warm interest and support from those around are necessary to enable early diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders."