Suicidal Thoughts Common in Fibromyalgia

Cort

Founder of Health Rising and Phoenix Rising
Staff member
Its probably no surprise but a recently study found that suicidal ideation - whic apparentlly refers to those thoughts showing up - is pretty common - about 40% in FM. Thoughts of suicide, however, were not associated with pain levels but feelings of depression, anxiety and sleep, etc. ;ie - the feelings that there's no way out, my life is over, etc. I suppose. Interesting that sleep had such a large effect.

Suicidal ideation was markedly associated with depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and global mental health, whereas only weak relationships were observed between suicidal ideation and both pain and general physical health.
Suicidal ideation in patients with fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional study. Abstract:

Chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and depression, which are relevant symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome, have been demonstrated to be associated with an increased likelihood of suicidal behaviors. Mortality from suicide has been shown to be greater among patients with fibromyalgia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation among a sample of patients with fibromyalgia and to evaluate its relationship with the clinical symptomatology of fibromyalgia.

Baseline data from fibromyalgia patients willing to participate in different clinical studies were collected. Outcome measures included the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Brief Pain Inventory, and the SF-12 Health Survey. The scores for these scales were compared between patients with and without suicidal ideation. The presence of suicidal ideation was assessed using the answer provided to item 9 of the Beck Depression Inventory. The results were adjusted by age, sex, total comorbidity, and time since diagnosis with multiple linear regression.

The sample comprised 373 patients of whom one hundred and seventy-nine (48%) reported suicidal ideation: 148 (39.7%) reported passive suicidal ideation and 31 (8.3%) active suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was markedly associated with depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and global mental health, whereas only weak relationships were observed between suicidal ideation and both pain and general physical health.

Source: Pain Practice, February 2015. By Elena P. Calandre MD, Mª Angustias Navajas-Rojas PhD, Javier Ballesteros MD, Jocelyne Garcia-Carrillo PhD, Juan M. Garcia-Leiva PhD and Fernando Rico-Villademoros MD. Instituto de Neurociencias y Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
 

Who Me?

Well-Known Member
When I haven't slept all bets are off. I completely lose my ability to cope and function.

If this goes on for a few days, combined with feeling really shit, then I do wonder what the breaking point for me will be. When will it all just get to be too much?

It's more than just surviving one day to the next while feeling crap. It's taking care of things, food, bills, laundry, insurance. It can be overwhelming.
 

Cort

Founder of Health Rising and Phoenix Rising
Staff member
Poor sleep just seems to degrade everything...I'm so lucky that my sleep issues have been pretty minor...When my sleep goes out occasionally - wow - what a hit I take. I feel for you...:(
 

Who Me?

Well-Known Member
Boy are you lucky! You should see my nightstand. It's like a pharmacy.

I take about 4 things just to get to sleep, then more because even on a good night I wake around 3:30 am.

And I never take the same things more than 2 nights in a row because of tolerance.

When you add crap sleep to PEM and brain fog? Ugh
 

Laura

New Member
I have terrible sleep problems too. Very hard to deal with and not good for mood, ETC.....
 

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