Testosterone therapy is associated with nearly doubled depression risk and 52% higher suicide attempt rates in men within five years.
In a 2022 study1 published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers analyzed 70.3 million electronic health records from 46 healthcare organizations to examine mental health outcomes in men using testosterone therapy. The study compared 263,579 men who used testosterone to over 17.8 million men who did not. Results showed testosterone use was independently associated with a 99% increased risk of major depressive disorder (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.94-2.04) and a 52% increased risk of suicide attempts or intentional self-harm (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.40-1.65) within 5 years of use. These associations remained significant even when analyzing only men with clinically diagnosed testosterone deficiency, suggesting the mental health risks persist regardless of baseline testosterone levels.
- Nackeeran, S., Patel, M. S., Nallakumar, D. T., Ory, J., Kohn, T., Deibert, C. M., Carto, C., & Ramasamy, R. (2022). Testosterone Therapy is Associated With Depression, Suicidality, and Intentional Self-Harm: Analysis of a National Federated Database. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 19(6), 933-939. PMID: 35437187. [Link] ↩︎