Mental illness is associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation among cancer surgical patients.

Background: Mental illness and depression can be associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation (SI). We sought to determine the association between mental illness and SI among cancer surgical patients.
Methods: Medicare beneficiaries who underwent resection of lung, esophageal, pancreatic, colon, or rectal cancer were analyzed. Patients were categorized as no mental illness, anxiety and/or depression disorders or bipolar/schizophrenic disorders.
Results: Among 211,092 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent surgery for cancer, the rate of suicidal ideation was 270/100,000 patients. Antecedent mental health diagnosis resulted in a marked increased SI. On multivariable analysis, patients with anxiety alone (OR 1.49, 95%CI 1.04-2.14), depression alone (OR 2.60, 95%CI 1.92-3.38), anxiety + depression (OR 4.50, 95%CI 3.48-5.86), and bipolar/schizophrenia (OR 7.30, 95%CI 5.27-10.30) had increased odds of SI.
Conclusions: Roughly 1 in 370 Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who underwent a wide range of surgical procedures had SI. An antecedent mental health diagnosis was a strong risk factor for SI.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None to report.
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