Background and Aims
The prevalence of suicidal ideation among people with persistent pain is high. Research investigating suicidal risk within the fibromyalgia population is less well established. There is reason to suggest risk may be higher in the fibromyalgia population compared with other persistent pain populations. People with fibromyalgia may present with several risk factors for suicide in addition to pain, including sleep disturbances and symptoms of psychological distress. Additionally, fibromyalgia is a pathology more common in women than men, with female sex a predisposing factor to suicide.  This study is a preliminary exploration of risk in the fibromyalgia population compared with the general persistent pain population.
 
Methods
41 participants were recruited from a specialist fibromyalgia clinic in the UK. Suicidal ideation was assessed via the PHQ-9 questionnaire (question 9) and compared with a matched sample of participants with non-fibromyalgia persistent pain. Percentages of patients with a score ≥1 and mean scores were compared between groups.
 
Results
There was a 4.9% increased risk among the fibromyalgia sample (46.3%, µ=0.9) compared with the non-fibromyalgia sample (41.4%, µ=0.51)
 
Conclusions
From this preliminary study, it seems that people with fibromyalgia are at greater risk of suicide than other persistent pain populations. This has implications for how we assess and manage risk in people with fibromyalgia, both at assessment and throughout the pain management pathway. Further research exploring specific factors associated with suicidality, such as past trauma, are discussed.

SUICIDAL IDEATION AND THOUGHTS OF SELF-HARM IN PEOPLE WITH FIBROMYALGIA: A COMPARISON WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER PERSISTENT PAIN POPULATIONS