Work-related musculoskeletal injury and suicide: opportunities for intervention and therapeutic jurisprudence

J Law Med. 2013 Sep;21(1):110-21.

Abstract

This article presents evidence for the existence of a common trajectory from work-related musculoskeletal injury to suicide. Specifically, it is argued that the pathway from injury to suicide is typically mediated by three critical events: unsuccessful return to work; the development of chronic pain or disability; and suicidal ideation in the context of chronic pain. The moderating influence of systemic factors is also examined, along with opportunities for intervention at the individual and systemic levels, the latter arising from a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective.

Publication types

  • Legal Case
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chronic Pain / psychology*
  • Disabled Persons / psychology
  • Humans
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases / psychology*
  • Occupational Injuries / psychology*
  • Return to Work
  • Suicide Prevention*