Mental health service use and suicide risk after a dementia diagnosis: a population-based retrospective matched...

To compare deaths due to suicide and mental health and addiction (MHA)-related health services utilization between adults with and without a new dementia diagnosis.

This matched cohort study assessed all Ontarians aged 40-105 y with a new diagnosis of dementia between January 2013 and December 2018. Those without dementia were compared to those with dementia utilizing a 2:1 age-, sex- and region-match ratio. Dementia diagnoses were identified via a validated algorithm. Death by suicide, and MHA-related outpatient physician visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations within six months of diagnosis date or matched index date were compared between individuals with vs. without dementia.

Our cohort included 504,709 individuals (33.4% with dementia). In the six months after diagnosis/matched index date, 24.3% of individuals with dementia had 1+ MHA-related outpatient visit compared to 7.8% in those without dementia. The adjusted rate of outpatient mental health visits was 2.52 times higher (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.50 - 2.55) in those with vs. without dementia. The risk of suicide was low and did not differ between groups.

Our findings suggest that a recent dementia diagnosis is associated with increased use of MHA-related health service use, particularly outpatient services.