Recent suicide attempts and serum lipid profile in subjects with mental disorders: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Peripheral biomarkers for suicide have been studied generating mixed results. We investigated the association between serum lipid levels and suicide attempts in subjects with different mental disorders. We conducted a cross-sectional study, including 593 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, major depressive, and personality disorders, hypothesizing that subjects with lower total cholesterol levels would have higher rates of recent suicide attempts. Contrary to our hypothesis, individuals with lower total cholesterol levels (<160 mg/dL) showed lower rates also of suicide attempts (OR adjusted for age and gender: 0.56; one-tailed p = 0.03). Further logistic regression models failed to estimate any association of continuous levels between total/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol/ triglycerides, and suicide attempts, also considering diagnosis and suicide methods. An association between lipid profile and suicide attempts in subjects with mental disorders is not fully supported. Further research is needed to clarify the role of biomarkers in suicidal behaviors.