Wu, T., Hu, L., Lu, T., Chen, P., Chen, H., Shen, C. C., & Wen, C. (2015). Risk of psychiatric disorders following trigeminal neuralgia: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study. Journal of Headache and Pain, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-015-0548-y

-The condition has been commonly referred to as "The Suicide Disease" as patients have reported that the constant and extremely painful nature of the episodes have led to hopelessness and despair, eventually culminating in suicidal ideation

Why Trigeminal Neuralgia is called "The Suicide Disease"

Trigeminal Neuralgia Support Group. (n.d.). Stanford Health Care. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/events/trigeminal-neuralgia-support-group.html

Reference for Support for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Navigating trigeminal neuralgia, its pain, and the often alienating effects of its pain can be extremely difficult, and so many groups and healthcare providers- like Stanford Healthcare- have formed support groups and other programs to help those diagnosed.

Support for those with Trigeminal Neuralgia

Allsop, M. J., Twiddy, M., Grant, H., Czoski-Murray, C., Mon-Williams, M., Mushtaq, F., Phillips, N., Zakrzewska, J. M., & Pavitt, S. (2015). Diagnosis, medication, and surgical management for patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a qualitative study. Acta neurochirurgica, 157(11), 1925–1933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-015-2515-4

"Diagnosis, medication, and surgical management for patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a qualitative study" Reference

According to one report, when patients with trigeminal neuralgia reported themes that they struggled with, the four most common were "diagnosis and support with TN, living in fear of TN pain, isolation and social withdrawal, and medication burden and looking for a cure" (Allsop et al., 2015).

Importance of Support for Those woth Trigeminal Neuralgia

It is reported that the combination of extended chronic pain and insomnia may increase the risk of suicidal ideation in pain patients.

Insomnia and Trigeminal Neuralgia

-One group conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study "to explore the relationship between TN and the subsequent development of psychiatric disorders," and what they found was that "the most common subsequent psychiatric illnesses among the patients with TN were depressive disorder in 73 patients (2.23 %), anxiety disorder in 59 patients (1.80 %), and sleep disorder in 40 patients (1.22 %)" (Wu et al., 2015).

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