Suicidality in Patients with Brain Tumors: A Brief Literature Review with Clinical Exemplar
Alessandra Costanza,
Francesco Zenga,
Roberta Rudà,
Andrea Amerio,
Andrea Aguglia,
Gianluca Serafini,
Mario Amore,
Guido Bondolfi,
Isabella Berardelli,
Khoa Dinh Nguyen
Affiliations
Alessandra Costanza
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Francesco Zenga
Department of Neurosurgery, University and City of Health and Science Hospital, 10126 Torino, Italy
Roberta Rudà
Department of Neuro-Oncology, University and City of Health and Science Hospital, 10126 Torino, Italy
Andrea Amerio
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16133 Genoa, Italy
Andrea Aguglia
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16133 Genoa, Italy
Gianluca Serafini
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16133 Genoa, Italy
Mario Amore
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16133 Genoa, Italy
Guido Bondolfi
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Isabella Berardelli
Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Khoa Dinh Nguyen
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
Background: Suicidality and brain tumors are two life-threatening conditions and, somewhat unexpectedly, the associations between them have scarcely been reported. Objective: In this study, we aimed to provide a brief literature review of epidemiological studies on suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behavior (SB) in patients with brain tumors. To illustrate various aspects of brain tumors that potentially underlie the emergence of suicidality, the review is supplemented with a clinical exemplar of a long-term survivor of brain tumor (glioblastoma) who experienced persistent SI. Furthermore, we discuss putative both neurobiological (including anatomical and immunological) and psychosocial mechanisms that might be accountable for the development of SI and SB in patients with brain tumors. Conclusions: While the etiology of this phenomenon appears to be multifactorial and still remains a subject of much debate, it is of critical importance to identify patients for which a psychiatric evaluation could recognize, in a timely manner, a possible suicide risk and alleviate the deep related suffering, by appropriate psychopharmacological and supportive and psychotherapeutic interventions.
