Psychopathological differences between female adolescent patients with and without suicide attempt

Abstract

Traditionally, psychopathology has been related to suicide risk, furthermore if we bear in mind that the recent meta-analysis on the relationship between some mental disorders and the risk of suicide attempt are inconclusive, and have been performed with non-clinical samples. To establish the psychopathological differences between female adolescent patients with and without suicide attempt. Comparative, prospective, correlational and cross-sectional study. A sample of 50 female participants was used, divided into 2 groups: one of cases, (n = 25), made up of female patients between 15 and 19 years of age with suicide attempt, and a control group of pairs (n = 25) with no history of suicide attempt. The following instruments were applied: the Plutchik Impulsivity Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the K-Sads-PL, the Beck Suicidal Ideation Scale, and the Hamilton Depression Scale. A greater presence of the disorders evaluated was found: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in the group with suicide attempt. Furthermore, the case group obtained higher mean scores on the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Beck Suicidal Ideation Scale, the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Plutchik Impulsivity Scale. The results agree with most of previous studies. It is suggested to carry out preventive interventions in cases where a considerably increased risk is detected.