P-1434 - Theory of mind impairments in suicide attempters

Abstract

Deficits in social cognition, e.g. theory of mind (ToM) represent core characteristics involved in the etiology of psychopathological symptoms and an important predictor of social competence. Empirical studies indicate a deficit in theory of mind (ToM) in depressed individuals. Furthermore, Individuals who experience symptoms of depression are at increased risk for engaging in suicidal behaviors. The main aim of this study is to compare suicide attempters (SA) with non-suicide attempters (NSA) disorders i.e. matched healthy controls in measures of social cognition. Social cognition was assessed in 39 SA and 40 NSA by examining performance on Baron-Cohen's “Reading the mind in the Eyes” task (RME). Data were analyzed through Student t-test.SA Patients compared to controls demonstrate impaired decoding ability. They performed significantly worse than NSA on ToM tasks. More detailed information about the components of ToM may inform our understanding of the suicide as well as future social-cognitive based treatments. Possible differences between the suicide attempters’ psychopathology and sexuality may play an important role in clarifying the opposing results.