Sleep disturbances may be linked to adolescent suicide

Sleep loss or disturbances are likely to signal an increased risk of future suicidal action in adolescents, say researchers in the US.Recent research indicates that almost a tenth of adolescents have attempted suicide during their lifetime while almost a third have had suicidal thoughts at some time. It has been suggested that sleep changes during adolescence are one of the possible risk factors contributing to the increase in suicide risk seen in this age group.In their review the researchers discuss recently published research on sleep characteristics and their associations with suicidality, and propose directions for future research.Sleep changes that usually occur during adolescence include going to bed later and getting up earlier, tendencies to develop irregular sleep patterns and to get insufficient sleep, and increased daytime sleepiness.It is thought that some of these changes may be the result of biological changes during puberty, such as a lengthening and phase delay of endogenous circadian rhythms, but that psychosocial factors may also play a role.The results of epidemiological studies suggest that up to a third of adolescents (14-33%) suffer from sleep disturbances, while 10-40% of high school students experience moderate or transient sleep deprivation.Sleep loss of disturbance has been shown to cause various adverse effects, such as negative effects on ability to think and concentrate, major depression, and drug or alcohol abuse.Sleep restriction has also been shown in experimental studies to have negative effects on psychosocial functioning in youth.Clinical and epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between insomnia and suicidal ideation. Frequent nightmares, poor sleep quality and hypersomnia have also been associated with suicidal ideation.The researchers state that these studies had various limitations and that longitudinal studies which examine the occurrence of future suicidal behaviour in those with or without sleep disturbances at baseline are now needed.Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies have identified abnormalities in the sleep patterns of psychiatric patients with suicidal behaviour. However, these studies were small and further studies are warranted, the researchers say.The researchers go on to discuss potential pathways to suicidal behaviour in adolescents and potential neurobiological mechanisms, such as decreased serotonergic functioning.They conclude that the relative paucity of data addressing these important concerns of sleep and youth suicidal behaviour warrants more systematic and prospective studies that would help to understand the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of suicidal behaviour in a better way.Reference...