This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call Tele-MANAS, India’s free 24/7 mental health helpline, on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416.
Folic acid, also called vitamin B9, is cheap, widely available and usually taken for things like anaemia or pregnancy. In recent years, some research has raised hope that it might also help reduce suicidal behaviour. A new nationwide Swedish study suggests the picture is far less clear.
The study was presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) congress in Munich, according to the ECNP. It was led by Professor Jussi Jokinen of Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University.
Where the folic acid idea came from
Folic acid helps the body make neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers in the brain. Low folate levels have been linked to depression and inflammation. In 2022, a large US study in JAMA Psychiatry reported that periods when people had folic acid prescriptions were linked to a 44% drop in suicide attempts and self-harm. That result led to wide interest in prescribing folic acid to vulnerable groups.
What the Swedish study found
The Swedish team used openly available data from all 21 Swedish regions over 16 years, from 2006 to 2021. They looked at 3,463 suicide-related deaths among people aged 20 to 29 and compared them with how much folic acid was dispensed in each region.
The results didn’t point one way:
- In men aged 20 to 24, higher folic acid dispensing was linked to more suicide-related deaths.
- In men aged 25 to 29, it was linked to fewer.
- In women, there was no statistically significant link at all.
Why this doesn’t mean folic acid is harmful
The researchers are very clear on this point. “Our results should not be interpreted as evidence that folic acid increases suicide risk,” Professor Jokinen said. “What they do suggest is caution.”
The study compared regions, not individual people, so it can’t show whether folic acid changed anyone’s risk. There’s also what scientists call “confounding by indication”. Folic acid is prescribed for many reasons, and some of those underlying health conditions may themselves be linked to suicide risk. In that case, the prescription is a sign of something else going on, not the cause. Both the Swedish study and the earlier US study were observational, so neither can prove cause and effect.
The study hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet. The authors are preparing a manuscript for a journal.
What experts say
Professor Jokinen said the findings “should not prompt changes in the clinical use of folic acid,” and that “the jury is still out”. He said the next step is research that follows individual patients over time and accounts for why folic acid was prescribed.
Dr Xenia Gonda of Semmelweis University in Budapest, who wasn’t involved, said the differences by sex and age show that suicidal behaviour “is not a single, biologically uniform phenomenon”. She added that folic acid’s low cost and lack of stigma make it worth studying, but “accessibility and biological plausibility do not establish efficacy”.
A careful takeaway
As a writer, I feel this is a good example of science correcting its own excitement. A cheap vitamin that prevents suicide would be wonderful news, and I understand why the earlier result got so much attention. But mental health is complex, and no supplement should be seen as a substitute for real care. If you take folic acid on a doctor’s advice, this study isn’t a reason to stop. And if you’re going through a hard time, please talk to someone you trust or a professional. Tele-MANAS (14416) is free, confidential and available around the clock in many Indian languages.
For more on mental health, read why anxiety isn’t a broken brain, how adult ADHD finds new places to hide and why reading for pleasure is linked to better health.