In 2001, Teasdale and Engberg published an article in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, entitled Suicide after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Population Study. The researchers reviewed data from Danish hospital admissions covering the years 1979-93 and found that patients who had sustained a TBI had an increased risk of suicide. The authors in that study concluded, “The increased risk of suicide among patients who had an MTBI may result from concomitant risk factors such as psychiatric conditions and psychosocial disadvantage. The greater risk among the more serious cases implicates additionally physical, physiological, and social consequences of the injuries as directly contributing to…suicide.”

In a recent research article, Lauren B. Fisher, et al. evaluated data from a brain injury-focused database, the BI Model Systems National Database, to further evaluate whether or not suicide rates are higher in TBI patients. Using patient health questionnaires detailing self-reported suicide attempts over a period of twenty years, the authors concluded that those who suffer a TBI are indeed at “greater risk for depression and suicidal behavior.” The outcome of the study indicates the need for “routine screening and mental health treatment in this population.”