Clinicopathological determinants of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients with post-stroke depression in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinico-pathological determinants of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) in a teaching hospital in south-west Nigeria. MethodA cross-sectional study was carried out in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and it involved 89 consecutively selected outpatients with post-stroke depression (diagnosed using the depression module of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory). Socio-demographic and clinical factors questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, and Beck Scale of Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) were administered to the participants. BSSI total score was used as a measure of suicidal thoughts. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics and research committee of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. ResultTime since stroke (the time since onset of the most recent stroke) had a significant negative correlation with suicidal thoughts (r = −0.263, p = 0.013). In the same vein, the probability of attempting suicide significantly reduces with time since stroke, Odds Ratio = 0.925, p = 0.047. ConclusionSuicidal thoughts and behavior occur early in patients with post-stroke depression. The identification of shorter time since stroke as a correlate of suicidal thoughts and behavior among this patient population underscores the need for performing early assessment and prompt intervention for the at-risk individuals.