Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024
The "suicide completion rate" is two to three times greater among chronic pain patients than among the population in general. At some time in their lives, 5 to 14% of chronic pain patients attempt suicide. Twenty percent of chronic pain patients will have suicidal thoughts at some point. Suicidal thoughts are more common among those with sleep-onset insomnia, abdominal pain, and high pain intensity. Pain appears to be a predictor of suicidal thoughts among non-pain primary care patients.1