Ann Arbor Times

A study conducted by the University of Michigan has revealed that suicide is a leading cause of death during pregnancy and in the months following delivery in the United States. Researchers assert that many of these deaths may be preventable.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the mixed-methods study examines the circumstances surrounding perinatal suicide, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death Reporting System. The researchers identified mental health conditions, substance use, and intimate partner problems as significant factors contributing to perinatal suicides.

The study analyzed data from over 1,100 women who died while pregnant or within a year after giving birth, with their deaths classified as suicides or undetermined causes. This data was compared to information from more than 17,600 women aged 10-50 who had not been pregnant in the previous year.

"We should do everything we can to prevent these suicides. We owe it to these women and their families," said Kara Zivin, lead author and professor at U-M Medical School and U-M School of Public Health. "Our study highlights the need for policies and practices targeting mental health, substance use, and intimate partner problems as part of a strategic approach to reducing perinatal suicide risk."

Zivin co-authored the study with Briana Mezuk, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health at U-M School of Public Health. Both serve as principal investigators on a National Institute of Mental Health-funded project exploring how major life events impact suicide risk.

"This work suggests that pregnancy is a period of transition in people’s lives when preexisting factors that contribute to suicide risk can come together in various ways," Mezuk stated.

Other contributors to the study include Chuwen Zhong, Alejandro Rodríguez-Putnam, Emma Spring, Qingyi Cai, Alyson Miller, Lily Johns, Viktoryia Kalesnikava, and Anna Courant.

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