Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US. Experts recommend many strategies and treatments to decrease the risk of suicide. Few would put folic acid supplements on that list. The study found patients who filled prescriptions for folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, experienced a 44% reduction in suicidal events (suicide attempts and intentional self-harm). Robert Gibbons, Ph.D. became interested in folic acid in the context of suicide because of a previous study between risk of attempting suicide and 922 different prescribed drugs. The study simultaneously screened each drug for associations with suicide attempts. Surprisingly,...
