A recent study indicates that, compared to other women, breast cancer survivors have a 37% higher risk of committing suicide, a long-term risk that continues for at least 25 years following diagnosis. In a study of 723,810 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1953 and 2001, 836 subjects committed suicide before the study's 2002 conclusion. The likelihood of suicide increased as the diagnosis worsened. Black women had the highest likelihood. At 25 years or more post-diagnosis, women remained at a 35% risk overall. Although the cumulative risk over 30 years was only 0.20%, researchers recommend that post-diagnosis follow-up include long-term counseling to address the increased risk.

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