Abstract
BackgroundMetabolic disturbances have been correlated with suicidality, but little is known about the association between suicide risk and metabolic disturbances among individuals with depression. This study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical correlations, especially cardio-metabolic associated factors of recent suicide attempts in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsA total of 288 MDD inpatients were recruited. Their clinical and demographic data together with plasma glucose, lipid and thyroid function parameters were collected. Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were rated for most of the patients.ResultsOf these MDD inpatients, 20.14% had attempted suicide during the past 1 month. Compared to those who had not attempted suicide, the suicide attempters had a significantly longer duration of illness, lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, lower total cholesterol, and more psychotic symptoms. However, all these significant results did not survive after the bonferroni correction (all p > 0.05). A logistic regression analysis indicated that suicide attempts were associated with the lower total cholesterol and more psychotic symptoms.ConclusionsOur findings support the hypothesis of the association of low plasma cholesterol level and recent suicidal attempts in patients with MDD.
Highlights
Suicide is a global phenomenon and accounts for 1.4% of all deaths worldwide, making it the 17th leading cause of mortality [1]
While low total cholesterol levels have been associated with suicide attempts in patients with depression [15,16,17], high serum total cholesterol levels have been found to be associated with suicide in patients with depression [18,19,20]
All patients met the following inclusion criteria: 1) 18 to 78 years old; 2) Han Chinese; 3) two psychiatrists with more than 10 years of clinical experience independently assessed the patient’s psychiatric history and made a diagnosis for the same patient according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V) criteria; 4) the ability to understand the meaning of each scale entry; 5) Patients who are not diagnosed with depressive episode of bipolar disorder or post-schizophrenia depression, and no co-morbidity with alcohol or substance use disorders or other psychotic disorders; and 6) no major medical abnormalities, including no central nervous system diseases, and no acute, unstable or life-threatening medical illnesses
Summary
Suicide is a global phenomenon and accounts for 1.4% of all deaths worldwide, making it the 17th leading cause of mortality [1]. A previous study reported that 77% of individuals who had committed suicide had a mental disorder at the time of death, primarily depression (63%) [2]. The association between lipid level and suicide. A recent study found associations between suicide and levels of both high density lipoprotein (HDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) [21], while another study found no association [22]. Recent studies have reported negative association between triglycerides and current suicidality [21, 23]. The heterogeneity of findings from these studies may arise from several factors, such as how suicidal behaviors were evaluated, as well as the populations being studied [24]. This study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical correlations, especially cardio-metabolic associated factors of recent suicide attempts in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder (MDD)
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