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James Donaldson on Mental Health – Rate of suicide higher in individuals with headaches
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Suicide attempt and completion was highest among individuals with headaches from head injuries, but also elevated in individuals with mild headaches, Penn research finds
Individuals diagnosed with several types of headache disorders – ranging from mild-to-moderate to severe – attempt and complete suicide at higher rates than those without headache diagnoses, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their analysis found that overall, people with headache diagnoses attempted suicide at over twice the rate and completed suicide at 1.4 times the rate of those without headache disorders, and that even individuals with mild headaches displayed an increased rate of suicide. As a result of findings, published this week in JAMA Neurology, researchers suggest that all patients with headache should be screened for symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts.
“We don‘t exactly know why there’s an association between headaches and suicide, but our research lays the groundwork for future work into the complicated relationship between headaches and other psychiatric disorders. Bad headaches can lead to feelings of hopelessness or demoralization, or worse, as we have found,” said first author, Holly Elser, MD, PhD, a resident in the department of Neurology. “There is a clear need for future research that can further explore this link, and at present there is a clear need for prompt identification and treatment of psychiatric symptoms in our headache patients.”
Potential impact on billions of people
Headaches are one of the most common disorders, with billions diagnosed worldwide. People with headache disorders often also have psychiatric disorders at the same time, like anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and depression. Earlier research suggested an increased rate of suicidal thoughts and behavior in individuals with severe headache disorders, but up until now, there has been little research regarding the risk of suicide across the range of headache disorders, including tension-type headache which is among the most common and mild forms of headache.
Researchers accessed health data from the Danish National Health Registers, which has collected information from all Danish citizens since the late 1970s. For this study, researchers analyzed the health records of a group of Danish citizens over 15 years old between 1995 and 2020. They used diagnostic codes from the ICD-10 to identify individuals diagnosed with four types of headache disorders, ranging from milder headache types like tension-type headaches (TTH), to more severe, like migraines and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC). Headaches from head injury, called post-traumatic headaches, were also included. For comparison, the researchers matched each person diagnosed with headache to five individuals of the same sex and birth year without a headache diagnosis. Their cohort included 119,486 diagnosed with headache, and 597,430 without.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
The researchers also used ICD-10 codes to identify those who attempted and completed suicide. Their analysis found that overall, people with headache diagnoses attempted suicide at over twice the rate of individuals without, and completed suicide at 1.4 times the rate of the control group. They found rates of suicide attempt and completion elevated even among those diagnosed with less-severe headache disorders like TTH, with rates of 1.91 and at 1.4 that of those without headache, respectively. The strongest associations between headache diagnoses and suicide were for post-traumatic headache, who attempted and completed suicide at three times the rate of the control group, and TAC, who attempted and completed suicide at 1.94 times and 2.4 times the rate of the control group.
“Headaches alone can be treated differently than headaches in conjunction with other psychiatric disorders. For instance, the appropriate management of depression often requires higher doses of antidepressants than used for headaches alone, or uses a different class of medication entirely,”
said Elser. “Our analysis can help clinicians better treat their patients with all types of headaches, taking their mental health treatment into account as well as their headache symptoms.”
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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