Self-harm-related mortality among U.S. decedents with multiple sclerosis: A nationwide analysis (1999-2020)

Suicide risk in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) exceeds that of the general population, yet national data on temporal change and demographic gradients remain limited. We conducted this study to quantify long-term trends and demographic disparities in fatal self-harm among U.S. decedents with MS.

We extracted Multiple Cause-of-Death records between 1999-2020 from the freely available CDC WONDER database, identifying cases in which intentional self-injury was the underlying manner of death and MS was a contributing cause. Crude mortality rates (per 100,000) overall and by sex, ten-year age group, race, and 2013 urbanization level were calculated. Log-linear and segmented regressions were used to estimate annual-percent change (APC) and join-points; rate ratios (RRs) contrasted 2020 with 1999 and each stratum with prespecified anchors.

A total of 453 MS-related self-harm deaths yielded an overall crude rate of 0.0067 (95 % CI 0.0061-0.0073) per 100,000 per year. The APC was 0.88 % (-0.49 % to 2.27 %); a single join-point was detected in 2013. Self-harm mortality was 2.7-fold higher in non-core rural counties than large central metros, and highest in adults older than 35 years; no sex difference emerged.

Despite therapeutic advances, self-harm mortality in MS has edged upward since 2013, with pronounced rural. Tailored mental-health surveillance, particularly in remote areas, remains a critical, unmet need.