ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Studies have found that deaf individuals have
higher rates of psychiatric disorder than those who are hearing, while
at the same time encountering difficulties in accessing mental health
services. These factors might increase the risk of suicide. However, the
burden of suicidal behavior in deaf people is currently unknown. The aim
of the present review was to provide a summary of literature on suicidal
behavior with specific reference to deaf individuals. The objectives of
the review were to establish the incidence and prevalence of suicidal
behavior in deaf populations; describe risk factors for suicidal
behavior in deaf populations; describe approaches to intervention and
suicide prevention that have been used in deaf populations.
RESULTS: Very few studies focused specifically on suicide in deaf
populations. Those studies that were included (n = 13) generally
involved small and unrepresentative samples. There were limited data on
the rate of suicidal behavior in deaf people. One study reported
evidence of hearing impairment in 0.2% of all suicide deaths. Another
found that individuals with tinnitus seen in specialist clinics had an
elevated rate of suicide compared to the general population. The rates
of attempted suicide in deaf school and college students during the
previous year ranged from 1.7% to 18%, with lifetime rates as high as
30%. Little evidence was found to suggest that risk factors for suicide
in deaf people differed systematically from those in the general
population. However, studies did report higher levels of depression and
higher levels of perceived risk among deaf individuals than hearing
control groups. No firm evidence was found regarding the effectiveness
of suicide prevention strategies in deaf people, but suggested
strategies include developing specific screening tools, training
clinical staff, promoting deaf awareness, increasing the availability of
specialist mental health services for deaf people.
Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Oct 8;6(1):26
Suicide in deaf populations: a literature review.
Turner O, Windfuhr K, Kapur N.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
DID YOU KNOW.... In a study conducted by Y. Kubota et al (Schizophrenia Research 61, 2003) of recognition of facial affect, deaf schizophrenia patients ...
DID YOU KNOW.......... Mental health providers must also learn how to recognize and address the differences in how a deaf individual displays feelings and...
DID YOU KNOW.... Research shows that people who are deaf: *Have the same rate of biological mental illness as hearing people. *Are more likely to have...
DID YOU KNOW..... In a survey of Intellectually Disabled populations in England and Wales, it was found that only 20% had normal hearing. Nearly half of the...
DID YOU KNOW.......... Paranoid behavior has been found to be more common among those adventitiously deafened or hard of hearing than among those who were...
This research is a little dated. I'm afraid our prolific Dr. Vernon would wish that more recent stuff were cited. What is survival "paranoid behavior" is...
The core point is that individuals who are born deaf or become deaf early in life, adjust more easily than individuals who become deaf later in life. Previous...
Steve - Did you know... I have a notebook in my waiting room which I titled, "Fun and Interesting Things About Deaf Life" or something like that. I often...
DID YOU KNOW....... While it is typically common knowledge to individuals working in the field of deafness that only 30% of English phonemes can be understood ...
DID YOU KNOW..... In a study of 38 deaf and hard-of hearing individuals who had diagnoses of depression-related disorders, results showed that the higher...
DID YOU KNOW.... In an investigation focusing on the socialization experiences and coping strategies of deaf adults using spoken language, especially looking...
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 9:1 Winter 2004 (Wallis, Musselman, MacKay) Hearing Mothers and Their Deaf Children: The Relationship between ...
The few available studies on the relationship of hearing loss to violence indicate that the prevalence of brain damage, learning disability, communication...
DID YOU KNOW..... Schizophrenia occurs in prelingually profoundly deaf patients with probably the same frequency as in the hearing population and when it does,...
DID YOU KNOW..... The results of a 1995 study indicate that while deaf children are competent witnesses in general, there exists some differences between the...
DID YOU KNOW..... Deaf individuals were asked about their understanding of items from two widely-used substance abuse screening instruments, the CAGE and The ...
DID YOU KNOW..... In a survey of mental health programs which provide services to deaf and hard of hearing individuals, the following results have been...
DID YOU KNOW..... Mental Health in Deaf Adults: Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Hearing and Deaf Individuals. Individuals with disabilities encounter...
DID YOU KNOW..... Research Abstract Barsukov, S., Praslova, L., & Pearson, M. (2006). Quality of mental health interpreting. Presented at the 18th Annual...
DID YOU KNOW..... Suicide in deaf populations: a literature review. ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Studies have found that deaf individuals have higher rates of...
Having problems with message search?
Fill out this form to ensure your group is one of the first to be migrated to the new message search system.
Offline 
Send Email