Researchers at the University of Nottingham and Queen Mary University of London have undertaken a new study on the link between dementia diagnosis and suicide risk, examining the medical records of nearly 600 000 people in England from 2001 to 2019. Their results, published in JAMA Neurology, revealed that people were twice as likely to commit suicide in the first 3 months that followed a diagnosis, compared to those without a diagnosis of dementia. Increased risk of suicide was also found for people who were diagnosed before 65 years old and those who had a pre-existing mental health condition. For individuals who had received a diagnosis in the past 3 months, those who were aged younger than 65 were found to be 7 times at higher risk of suicide. But this was found to gradually decrease over time. The researchers comment that it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of such an association of dementia with suicide. On the one hand, a diagnosis of dementia could be directly causing some suicidal feelings, but on the other, this association could be mediated by other factors, such as people’s fears of becoming burdens to those around them. Indeed, perceived burdensomeness is known to be a strong factor in suicidal ideation and behaviour. These findings illustrate the importance of providing appropriate mental health support to individuals immediately after they receive a dementia diagnosis. It also highlights that attention must be paid to groups that are particularly vulnerable, such as young people with dementia and people with a pre-existing psychiatric history. The authors of the study also reminded the public that, provided they have access to the right support, people with dementia can achieve a good quality of life even after their diagnosis.