Lyme disease heightens suicide risk

In a new study, US and Danish researchers report that patients hospitalised with Lyme disease had a 28 per cent higher rate of mental disorders and were twice as likely to have attempted suicide post-infection compared to individuals without the diagnosis.
A collaboration of Columbia University and the Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, the study is believed to be the first large, population-based study examining the relationship between Lyme disease and psychiatric outcomes. The research appears in the July 28 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"It is time to move beyond thinking of Lyme disease as a simple illness that only causes a rash," said Brian Fallon, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist with the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University who is the lead author of the paper, adding, "In addition to the risk of severe cardiac, rheumatologic, and neurologic problems, Lyme disease can cause severe mental health problems as well.”
Their analysis revealed that in addition to patients with Lyme disease being at greater risk of mental disorders and suicide attempts, they also had a 42 percent higher rate of affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, and a 75 percent higher rate of death by suicide than those without the diagnosis. Although most cases can be cured with a two- to four-week course of oral antibiotics, 10-20 percent of patients may suffer from pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that lasts for months to years after treatment.
The researchers said the findings are emblematic of a trend in Lyme disease cases that should not be overlooked. The Danish medical registry includes only psychiatric diagnoses made in a hospital setting, and it is likely that the number of individuals with new-onset mental health problems following infection is much higher.