Physical activity, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and death among individuals with mental or other medical disorders: A systematic review of observational studies

• Published in: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Vol. 158; p. 105547
• Main Authors: Fabiano, Nicholas, Gupta, Arnav, Wong, Stanley, Tran, Jason, Mohammad, Ibrahim YZ, Bal, Shan, Fiedorowicz, Jess G., Firth, Joseph, Stubbs, Brendon, Vancampfort, Davy, Schuch, Felipe B., Carr, Lucas J., Shorr, Risa, Cortese, Samuele, Manchia, Mirko, Hartman, Catharina A., Høye, Anne, Fusar-Poli, Paolo, Koyanagi, Ai, Vieta, Eduard, Nielsen, René Ernst, Holt, Richard IG, Correll, Christoph U., Du Rietz, Ebba, Taipale, Heidi, Lehto, Kelli, Larrson, Henrik, Nordentoft, Merete, Dragioti, Elena, Skonieczna-Żydecka, Karolina, Solmi, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Medical disorder; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mental disorder; Physical activity; Suicide; Mental disorder; Physical activity; Suicide; Medical disorder
• ISSN: 0149-7634; 1873-7528; 1873-7528
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105547

A growing body of research has demonstrated the potential role for physical activity as an intervention across mental and other medical disorders. However, the association between physical activity and suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths has not been systematically appraised in clinical samples. We conducted a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for observational studies investigating the influence of physical activity on suicidal behavior up to December 6, 2023. Of 116 eligible full-text studies, seven (n = 141691) were included. Depression was the most frequently studied mental condition (43%, k = 3), followed by chronic pain as the most common other medical condition (29%, k = 2). Two case-control studies examined suicide attempts and found an association between physical activity and a reduced frequency of such attempts. However, in studies examining suicidal ideation (k = 3) or suicide deaths (k = 2), no consistent associations with physical activity were observed. Overall, our systematic review found that physical activity may be linked to a lower frequency of suicide attempts in non-prospective studies involving individuals with mental disorders. •Physical activity was associated with a lower frequency of suicide attempts in individuals with mental disorders.•No consistent association was found between physical activity and suicidal ideation or deaths.•Findings are limited by the broad scope of the term physical activity.