Women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome may have an increased risk of attempting suicide, research suggests.
PCOS is a common health condition thought to affect about one in 10 women in the UK, although many cases are undiagnosed.
The condition can cause irregular periods, acne, obesity and cysts in the ovaries among other symptoms, with the WHO noting the syndrome as a leading cause of infertility.
Photo: AFP
Now a large study by researchers in Taiwan suggests people diagnosed with the condition have an increased risk of suicide attempts.
Writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from Taipei Veterans general hospital describe how they analysed nationwide data from 8,960 women and girls aged 12 to 64 diagnosed with the condition, covering a period from 1997 to 2012. None of those included in the study had a history of suicide attempts.
After taking into account factors including psychiatric disorders, other health conditions and demographics, the team found those with PCOS had an 8.47-fold higher risk for suicide attempts than women without the syndrome but who otherwise had similar characteristics.
Photo: AP
When the team broke down the findings by age, they found the risk of suicide attempts was 5.38 times higher for adolescents, 9.15 times higher for adults under 40, and 3.75 times higher for older adults, compared with controls.
The authors of the study suggest concerns over the impact of the condition, including potential infertility and worries over body image, could be among the factors at play.
“Body image concerns, including perceived obesity and acne, have been associated with suicide risk during adolescence, and these problems are common among adolescents with PCOS,” they write, adding that young adults may experience additional challenges such as unemployment, financial difficulties and relationship problems.
The drop in increased risk in older adults, the team suggest, could be linked to an improvement in the symptoms of PCOS with age.
While the research has limitations, including that it cannot prove cause and effect and could not take into account all possible factors that may muddy the waters, it is not the first to suggest an association between PCOS and suicide.
Sophie Williams of the University of Derby, who was not involved in the new research, said a number of studies had revealed similar findings in recent years, while her own work had raised concerns around self-harm and suicidal ideation among women with PCOS.
“We know that women with PCOS are more likely to have depression and anxiety — that’s been shown time and time again in a number of research papers,” she added.
While Williams said there were a number of possible explanations — including possible differences in parts of the brain that may be associated with PCOS — she stressed there were only a handful of studies looking into possible pathways.
“[PCOS] is a very, very underresearched area in general, and mental health within that is even more underresearched,” she said.
However, Williams said women with the condition who were experiencing difficulties needed to know they could reach out for help.
“It is a very hard first step to take, but it is potentially a life-changing step,” she said.
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
On Sept. 27 last year, three climate activists were arrested for throwing soup over Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at London’s National Gallery. The Just Stop Oil protest landed on international front pages. But will the action help further the activists’ cause to end fossil fuels? Scientists are beginning to find answers to this question. The number of protests more than tripled between 2006 and 2020 and researchers are working out which tactics are most likely to change public opinion, influence voting behavior, change policy or even overthrow political regimes. “We are experiencing the largest wave of protests in documented history,” says
RSS