The Centre for Suicide Research, Odense, Denmark has since 1990 registered all suicide attempts and suicides in patients residing in the County of Funen, Denmark.

The Pain Clinic, Odense University Hospital's receives patients with chronic pain from the whole region of Southern Denmark. This study is part of two studies from the Pain Clinic.

The aims of the study have been

• To investigate whether patients treated in the Pain Clinic in the period 1/1 2004-31/12 2010 have an increased risk of suicide attempts compared with the background population

• To investigate whether the frequency of suicide attempts before the treatment in the Pain Clinic differs from the frequency of suicide attempts after treatment.

Data about age, sex and time of treatment on patients treated in the Pain Clinic in the period are registered. Time and method of the suicide attempts are registered in Centre of Suicide Research. By registry linkages between patient registers from the Pain Clinic and the Registry of Suicide Attempt in the County of Funen it was possible to calculate any excess risk of suicide attempts in chronic pain patients in the study period.

The Incidence rate ratio for suicide attempts in our study for both sex and all age group are about 1 or lower, which means that the pain population in our study does not have an increased risk of suicide attempts.