Abstract
A sample of 189 depressed patients, previously studied in detail, was followed up 10 months after initial treatment contact. Thirteen of these individuals had made suicide attempts, one fatally, during the period. Sociodemographic variables, previous history, personality dimensions, and symptom ratings were analyzed in order to explore predictors of suicide attempts. Persons who made suicide attempts during the follow-up period were significantly differentiated from the nonattempters by a number of variables. Attempters were younger, had a previous history of suicide attempts, evidence of underlying personality disturbance suggestive of character disorder, and a clinical pattern of neurotic rather than endogenous depression. They showed striking evidence of persistent overt hostility. These findings are consistent with other descriptions of groups of suicide attempters among general populations. Because their hostility may lead them to drop out of treatment, attention to follow-up care after the resolution of the immediate depressive episode is especially important for such patients.
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