The Risk of Suicide and Self-Harm in Adolescents Is Influenced by the "Type" of Mood Disorder.

Abstract

We sought to examine the extent to which suicidal ideation and self-harm are associated with a set of psychiatric conditions in senior high school students. A total of 1577 students completed an anonymous survey assessing lifetime rates of mood, anxiety, and eating disorders; the extent to which the presence of any depressive condition attracted bullying; help-seeking strategies; as well as rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation and plans over differing periods. Suicidal ideation and plans together with self-harm rates were distinctly higher in those with a melancholic depressive or a bipolar disorder (compared with those with nonmelancholic depression or an anxiety or eating disorder) and generally higher in females, whereas numbers of those with such conditions attending a mental health professional were low. Thus, for those with a mood disorder, the type of the condition appears to have a distinct impact on the likelihood of suicide and self-harm.