Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (785 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A risk factor for suicide attempts and completions, it is the most common of all suicidal behavior, but only a minority of ideators engage in overt self-harm.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Ideations, Suicidal; Ideation, Suicidal; Suicidal Ideations.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Suicide
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 18,098 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Suicidal Ideation” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 10,944 of them (60.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2020 onward with 10,944 records.
Reviews account for 1,929 records (10.7%) and meta-analyses for 593. Randomized controlled trials number 708 (3.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 26 |
| 2010-2019 | 7,491 |
| 2020 onward | 10,944 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,929 | 10.7% |
| Meta-analyses | 593 | 3.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 708 | 3.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Suicidal Ideation"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in psychiatry and psychology
Research on mental health and behaviour relies on questionnaires, interviews and rating scales rather than physical measurements, so how a condition was defined and measured shapes every result. Many studies are observational or small, placebo responses can be large, and findings in one group or culture may not carry over to another. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a qualified clinician. Check how outcomes were measured, who took part and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loneliness, Anxiety Symptoms, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation in the All of Us Dataset | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41779392 · DOI · PMC12961520 |
| Network dynamics of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal symptoms in Chinese adolescents: a longitudinal cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel network analysis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41572826 · DOI · PMC12885338 |
| Housing Displacement, Employment Disruption, and Mental Health After the 2023 Maui Wildfires | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41811306 · DOI · PMC12980362 |
Loneliness, Anxiety Symptoms, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation in the All of Us Dataset [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ImportanceAlthough anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms are linked with increases in suicidal ideation, they leave much of the variance in suicidal ideation unexplained.
- Closing excerpt
- Targeting and reducing loneliness may present a transdiagnostic approach to arrest the progression from anxiety and depressive symptoms toward suicidal ideation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (243 words)
ImportanceAlthough anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms are linked with increases in suicidal ideation, they leave much of the variance in suicidal ideation unexplained. Loneliness may mediate the links between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation as well as depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.ObjectiveTo analyze the mediating role of loneliness in the association between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation as well as in the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used data collected between May 31, 2017, and October 1, 2023, from 62 685 US adults who completed the self-report mental health survey portion of the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program.Main outcomes and measuresSelf-report surveys estimated anxiety symptoms (using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale), depressive symptoms (using the first 8 items of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), loneliness (using the UCLA Loneliness Scale), and suicidal ideation (using item 9 of the PHQ-9). Analyses were conducted in August of 2025.ResultsThe analytic sample of 62 685 individuals had a mean (SD) age of 61.8 (16.1) years and included 40 749 women (65.0%). Anxiety symptoms (r = 0.33; P Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study of 62 685 participants from the All of Us Research Program, loneliness partially mediated the association between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation as well as depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Targeting and reducing loneliness may present a transdiagnostic approach to arrest the progression from anxiety and depressive symptoms toward suicidal ideation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41779392 · DOI · PMC12961520
Network dynamics of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal symptoms in Chinese adolescents: a longitudinal cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel network analysis [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundDepression in adolescents involves complex interactions among depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal symptoms.
- Closing excerpt
- Findings support dynamic, network-informed interventions targeting evolving symptom centrality and predictive pathways, particularly addressing sleep-related symptoms and suicide risk during critical recovery phases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (191 words)
BackgroundDepression in adolescents involves complex interactions among depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal symptoms. Network theory offers insights into dynamic symptom relationships during recovery.MethodsOf 797 adolescents initially enrolled, 649 with complete baseline data were included in the network analyses; 458 and 277 participants were retained at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups, respectively. Cross-sectional Gaussian Graphical Models and Cross-Lagged Panel Network (CLPN) analyses examined relationships among nine symptom domains: depression, somatic/subjective anxiety, sleep quantity/quality, daytime insomnia, passive/active sleepiness, and suicidal ideation/tendency. Network centrality and bootstrap validation assessed parameter stability.ResultsCross-sectional networks showed structural invariance across timepoints (p>0.05). Subjective anxiety demonstrated highest centrality at T0-T1, while somatic symptoms dominated at T2. Depression maintained high closeness centrality throughout. Although betweenness centrality also suggested a central role for depression, its lower stability (CS 0.5) except betweenness centrality.ConclusionsCentral symptoms evolved during recovery, with subjective anxiety initially dominant but somatic symptoms becoming central over time. The early post-treatment period showed heightened symptom network activity, with sleep disturbances identified as robust predictors of subsequent affective deterioration. Findings support dynamic, network-informed interventions targeting evolving symptom centrality and predictive pathways, particularly addressing sleep-related symptoms and suicide risk during critical recovery phases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41572826 · DOI · PMC12885338
Housing Displacement, Employment Disruption, and Mental Health After the 2023 Maui Wildfires [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ImportanceClimate-related disasters are escalating in frequency and severity, yet their population-level mental health impacts-especially in racially and ethnically diverse and geographically isolated settings-remain poorly characterized.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings highlight the importance of integrating mental health care, housing stability, and economic recovery as central pillars of disaster response and climate resilience strategies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (351 words)
ImportanceClimate-related disasters are escalating in frequency and severity, yet their population-level mental health impacts-especially in racially and ethnically diverse and geographically isolated settings-remain poorly characterized. The 2023 Maui wildfires, one of the deadliest US wildfires in more than a century, offer a critical opportunity to quantify these effects.ObjectiveTo examine associations between wildfire exposure and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and to assess indirect pathways of these associations through housing displacement and income disruption.Design, setting, and participantsThis multiarm, propensity-weighted cross-sectional study compared adults residing within burn zones and outside burn zones on Maui and unexposed residents from other Hawai'i counties. The analytic sample included wildfire-exposed and unexposed adults enrolled between January 2024 and February 2025 through the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study and the UHERO Rapid Health Survey. Residential addresses at the time of the fires were geocoded and linked to official burn zone perimeters to determine exposure status. Data were analyzed from May to September 2025.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcomes were self-reported depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale), and suicidal ideation within the past 30 days, assessed using validated screening instruments.ResultsThe analytic sample included 2453 adults (1535 wildfire exposed and 918 unexposed), among whom mean (SD) age was 50.8 (16.3) years and 1502 participants (61.2%) were women. Wildfire exposure was associated with higher risk of depression (risk ratio [RR], 1.53; 95% CI, 1.20-1.94) and anxiety (RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.14-2.45) compared with unexposed individuals. Although suicidal ideation was more frequent among burn zone residents (RR, 2.15; 95% CI, 0.72-6.44), this association was not statistically significant. Residents outside burn zones showed significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation (RR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.21-5.77). Mediation analyses indicated that housing displacement and income loss jointly accounted for more than half of the associations with depression and anxiety.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study, wildfire exposure and its socioeconomic consequences were associated with graded increases in psychological distress extending beyond the burn zone. These findings highlight the importance of integrating mental health care, housing stability, and economic recovery as central pillars of disaster response and climate resilience strategies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41811306 · DOI · PMC12980362
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A meta-analysis of 50 years of research [4]
- Research article Prevalence of Depression, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [5]
- Research article Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Meta-analysis of sleep disturbance and suicidal thoughts and behaviors [7]
- Research article Gender differences in suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies [8]
- Research article Bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviors: a meta-analysis [9]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
The Meaning in Life in Suicidal Patients: The Presence and the Search for Constructs. A Systematic Review
Alessandra Costanza, Massimo Prelati, Maurizio Pompili · Medicina 2019 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Musacchio Schafer K, Franklin J, Embí PJ, Walsh CG. Loneliness, Anxiety Symptoms, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation in the All of Us Dataset. . 2026. PMID 41779392 · DOI · PMC12961520
- Sun B, Zhang J, Ma Y, He H. Network dynamics of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal symptoms in Chinese adolescents: a longitudinal cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel network analysis. . 2026. PMID 41572826 · DOI · PMC12885338
- Juarez R, Le B, Knightsbridge C, Lowery M, Maunakea AK. Housing Displacement, Employment Disruption, and Mental Health After the 2023 Maui Wildfires. . 2026. PMID 41811306 · DOI · PMC12980362
- Franklin JC, Ribeiro JD, Fox KR, Bentley KH, Kleiman EM, Huang X, et al.. Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Psychol Bull. 2017. PMID 27841450 · DOI
- Rotenstein LS, Ramos MA, Torre M, Segal JB, Peluso MJ, Guille C, et al.. Prevalence of Depression, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA. 2016. PMID 27923088 · DOI · PMC5613659
- Gobbi G, Atkin T, Zytynski T, Wang S, Askari S, Boruff J, et al.. Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019. PMID 30758486 · DOI · PMC6450286
- Pigeon WR, Pinquart M, Conner K. Meta-analysis of sleep disturbance and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. J Clin Psychiatry. 2012. PMID 23059158 · DOI
- Miranda-Mendizabal A, Castellví P, Parés-Badell O, Alayo I, Almenara J, Alonso I, et al.. Gender differences in suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Int J Public Health. 2019. PMID 30635683 · DOI · PMC6439147
- Holt MK, Vivolo-Kantor AM, Polanin JR, Holland KM, DeGue S, Matjasko JL, et al.. Bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviors: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2015. PMID 25560447 · DOI · PMC4702491
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.