Suicide after surgery

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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Not good news.

This retrospective study utilized de-identified patient data…Data from February 4, 2003, to February 4, 2023, were analyzed to examine suicide attempts, death, self-harm, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within five years of the index event…

Individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgery had a 12-fold higher suicide attempt risk than those who did not (3.47% vs. 0.29%)…Compared to the tubal ligation/vasectomy controls, the risk was 5-fold higher before propensity matching and remained significant at 4.7-fold after matching…

DB2

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As this “study” is probably specifically designed as support for outlawing gender affirming surgery, the correct comparison would be those who underwent surgery, vs those who wanted the surgery, but were prevented from having it.

Steve

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The propensity for suicidal ideation was there before the surgery in most cases. The study does not state otherwise. The study is a statistical report without context.

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The results remind me a bit of when I lived in the Bay Area many decades ago. It was said that San Francisco had the highest suicide rate of major US cities. The idea was that people came to SF to make their lives better. After living in paradise for awhile they realized they were still troubled.

My guess is that the high 3% suicide rate may be a result of finding out that surgery wasn’t a panacea.

DB2

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It could also be that they find that society still doesn’t accept them and stills treats them as “broken”.

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This is an off-topic post that should be marked OT.
Wendy

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Neither has to do with having suicidal ideation.

Most of us simply do not have that going on.

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I think we expect people who believe they were born with the wrong body to be frustrated and unhappy. You are not surprised to find that population at increased risk of suicide.

The question should be does surgery reduce that risk. Comparison to population at large seems not very useful.

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Of course not. A suicidal ideation is a problem that has nothing to do with other factors.

I have never been suicidal. I do understand that people with a suicidal ideation are spiraling downward into depression.

Better put Tony in the Sopranos was on Prozac. He killed someone and popped more pills. I asked my dad if that would help? Dad, “No because Tony has real problems in this world. A pill can not change that”.

The opposite can be said that the ideation is not an external problem. It is an internal problem that can be helped with treatment.

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OK if you say so, Leap. I still think those who are unhappy, depressed, and frustrated with life are more likely to carry out the “ideation.”

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Of course

But the surgery is not related necessarily.

Google result

The lifetime risk of suicide among patients with untreated depressive disorder is nearly 20% .

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But that clouds the agenda the “study” is putting forward, that gender affirming treatment should be outlawed.

Steve

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There was no agenda in the report. It was only a statistic. It does not add up to an opinion or a set of relationships, not even causal or correlation.

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If surgery succeeds and reduces life stress for these individuals, I think that should be apparent in the suicide stats.

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Why would it be apparent?

There was no conclusion in the report.

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Yes, that’s the point. Is there enough data with and without surgery to indicate one has a better suicide rate? Or are the data scattered?

The study to me did not do what it should have. So results reported are dubious.

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The result reported is just a stat. It is not necessarily dubious but there is nothing else to it.