Suicidal Behavior In Bipolar Disorder Research Articles

Prevention of Suicidal Behavior in Bipolar Disorder.

Excess mortality is a critical hallmark of bipolar disorder (BD) due to co-occurring general medical disorders and especially from suicide. It is timely to review of the status of suicide in BD and to consider the possibility of limiting suicidal risk. We carried out a semi-systematic review of recent research reports pertaining to suicide in BD. Suicide risk in BD is greater than with most other psychiatric disorders. Suicide rates (per 100,000/year) are approximately 11 and 4 in the adult and juvenile general populations, but over 200 in adults, and 100 among juveniles diagnosed with BD. Suicide attempt rates with BD are at least 20 times higher than in the adult general population, and over 50 times higher among juveniles. Notable suicidal risk factors in BD include: previous suicidal acts, depression, mixed-agitated-dysphoric moods, rapid mood-shifts, impulsivity, and co-occurring substance abuse. Suicide-preventing therapeutics for BD remain severely underdeveloped. Evidence favoring lithium treatment is stronger than for other measures, although encouraging findings are emerging for other treatments. Suicide is a leading clinical challenge for those caring for BD patients. Improved understanding of risk and protective factors combined with knowledge and close follow-up of BD patients should limit suicidal risk. Ethically appropriate and scientifically sound studies of plausible medicinal, physical, and psychosocial treatments aimed at suicide prevention specifically for BD patients are urgently needed.Reprinted from Bipolar Disord 2021; 23:14-23, with permission from John Wiley and Sons. Copyright © 2021.

A Risk Calculator to Predict Suicide Attempts Among Individuals With Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder.

To build a one-year risk calculator (RC) to predict individualized risk for suicide attempt in early-onset bipolar disorder. Youth numbering 394 with bipolar disorder who completed ≥2 follow-up assessments (median follow-up length = 13.1 years) in the longitudinal Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study were included. Suicide attempt over follow-up was assessed via the A-LIFE Self-Injurious/Suicidal Behavior scale. Predictors from the literature on suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder that are readily assessed in clinical practice were selected and trichotomized as appropriate (presence past 6 months/lifetime history only/no lifetime history). The RC was trained via boosted multinomial classification trees; predictions were calibrated via Platt scaling. Half of the sample was used to train, and the other half to independently test the RC. There were 249 suicide attempts among 106 individuals. Ten predictors accounted for >90% of the cross-validated relative influence in the model (AUC = 0.82; in order of relative influence): (1) age of mood disorder onset; (2) non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (trichotomized); (3) current age; (4) psychosis (trichotomized); (5) socioeconomic status; (6) most severe depressive symptoms in past 6 months (trichotomized none/subthreshold/threshold); (7) history of suicide attempt (trichotomized); (8) family history of suicidal behavior; (9) substance use disorder (trichotomized); (10) lifetime history of physical/sexual abuse. For all trichotomized variables, presence in the past 6 months reliably predicted higher risk than lifetime history. This RC holds promise as a clinical and research tool for prospective identification of individualized high-risk periods for suicide attempt in early-onset bipolar disorder.Reprinted from Bipolar Disord 2022; 24:749-757, with permission from John Wiley and Sons. Copyright © 2022.

Cigarette smoking and risk of suicide in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly prevalent, chronic and recurrent mental illness. The smoking rates in patients with BD are much higher than those of the general population, and BD is associated with an increased risk of suicide. An association between smoking and suicidal behavior has been found in the general population, this systematic review examines whether there is evidence of an association between smoking and suicide behavior in patients with BD. A database search was carried out in Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science, updated until December 31st, 2021, according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. We identified prospective and retrospective studies that included patients diagnosed with BD types I, II, and not otherwise specified, and in which smoking and suicidal behavior were correlated. Articles that focused exclusively on other mental disorders were excluded. The Ottawa-Newcastle scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included articles. Fifteen articles (n = 7,395) met all the inclusion criteria. In nine of these articles, the authors found an association between smoking and suicidal behavior in BD, while in the remaining six articles, this association was not found. A great deal of variability was observed between articles, particularly in the measurement of suicidal behavior and tobacco consumption. The risk of bias, as assessed by the NOS, was high for most of the included articles, except for two papers, whose risk was low. It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between tobacco use and the risk of suicide in BD patients due to the heterogeneity of the articles included in this systematic review, which had different sample sizes and methodological issues. However, both conditions are highly prevalent and have a negative impact on the prognosis of BD. Therefore, a systematic approach is needed, based on accurate measurement of a patient's smoking habits and their risk of suicidal behavior, in order to establish an appropriate therapeutic plan. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors and was registered on PROSPERO with the CRD42022301570 on January 21th 2022.

Aberrant dynamic functional connectivity in corticostriatal circuitry in depressed bipolar II disorder with recent suicide attempt

BackgroundThe underlying neurobiological mechanisms on suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder remain unclear. We aim to explore the mechanisms of suicide by detecting dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) of corticostriatal circuitry and cognition in depressed bipolar II disorder (BD II) with recent suicide attempt (SA). MethodsWe analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 68 depressed patients with BD-II (30 with SA and 38 without SA) and 35 healthy controls (HCs). The whole-brain dFC variability of corticostriatal circuitry was calculated using a sliding-window analysis. Their correlations with cognitive dysfunction were further detected. Support vector machine (SVM) classification tested the potential of dFC to differentiate BD-II with SA from HCs. ResultsIncreased dFC variability between the right vCa and the right insula was found in SA compared to non-SA and HCs, and negatively correlated with speed of processing. Decreased dFC variability between the left dlPu and the right postcentral gyrus was found in non-SA compared to SA and HCs, and positively correlated with reasoning problem-solving. Both SA and non-SA exhibited decreased dFC variability between the right dCa and the left MTG, and between the right dlPu and the right calcarine when compared to HCs. SVM classification achieved an accuracy of 75.24 % and AUC of 0.835 to differentiate SA from non-SA, while combining the abnormal dFC features between SA and non-SA. ConclusionsAberrant dFC variability of corticostriatal circuitry may serve as potential neuromarker for SA in BD-II, which might help to discriminate suicidal BD-II patients from non-suicidal patients and HCs.

A risk calculator to predict suicide attempts among individuals with early-onset bipolar disorder.

To build a one-year risk calculator (RC) to predict individualized risk for suicide attempt in early-onset bipolar disorder. Youth numbering 394 with bipolar disorder who completed ≥2 follow-up assessments (median follow-up length=13.1 years) in the longitudinal Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study were included. Suicide attempt over follow-up was assessed via the A-LIFE Self-Injurious/Suicidal Behavior scale. Predictors from the literature on suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder that are readily assessed in clinical practice were selected and trichotomized as appropriate (presence past 6months/lifetime history only/no lifetime history). The RC was trained via boosted multinomial classification trees; predictions were calibrated via Platt scaling. Half of the sample was used to train, and the other half to independently test the RC. There were 249 suicide attempts among 106 individuals. Ten predictors accounted for >90% of the cross-validated relative influence in the model (AUC=0.82; in order of relative influence): (1) age of mood disorder onset; (2) non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (trichotomized); (3) current age; (4) psychosis (trichotomized); (5) socioeconomic status; (6) most severe depressive symptoms in past 6months (trichotomized none/subthreshold/threshold); (7) history of suicide attempt (trichotomized); (8) family history of suicidal behavior; (9) substance use disorder (trichotomized); (10) lifetime history of physical/sexual abuse. For all trichotomized variables, presence in the past 6months reliably predicted higher risk than lifetime history. This RC holds promise as a clinical and research tool for prospective identification of individualized high-risk periods for suicide attempt in early-onset bipolar disorder.

The clinical characterization of the adult patient with bipolar disorder aimed at personalization of management.

Bipolar disorder is heterogeneous in phenomenology, illness trajectory, and response to treatment. Despite evidence for the efficacy of multimodal-ity interventions, the majority of persons affected by this disorder do not achieve and sustain full syndromal recovery. It is eagerly anticipated that combining datasets across various information sources (e.g., hierarchical "multi-omic" measures, electronic health records), analyzed using advanced computational methods (e.g., machine learning), will inform future diagnosis and treatment selection. In the interim, identifying clinically meaningful subgroups of persons with the disorder having differential response to specific treatments at point-of-care is an empirical priority. This paper endeavours to synthesize salient domains in the clinical characterization of the adult patient with bipolar disorder, with the overarching aim to improve health outcomes by informing patient management and treatment considerations. Extant data indicate that characterizing select domains in bipolar disorder provides actionable information and guides shared decision making. For example, it is robustly established that the presence of mixed features - especially during depressive episodes - and of physical and psychiatric comorbidities informs illness trajectory, response to treatment, and suicide risk. In addition, early environmental exposures (e.g., sexual and physical abuse, emotional neglect) are highly associated with more complicated illness presentations, inviting the need for developmentally-oriented and integrated treatment approaches. There have been significant advances in validating subtypes of bipolar disorder (e.g., bipolar I vs. II disorder), particularly in regard to pharmacological interventions. As with other severe mental disorders, social functioning, interpersonal/family relationships and internalized stigma are domains highly relevant to relapse risk, health outcomes, and quality of life. The elevated standardized mortality ratio for completed suicide and suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder invites the need for characterization of this domain in all patients. The framework of this paper is to describe all the above salient domains, providing a synthesis of extant literature and recommendations for decision support tools and clinical metrics that can be implemented at point-of-care.

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

BackgroundBipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries.MethodsData analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun’s electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries).ResultsThis analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p < 0.01.ConclusionA large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed.

Mixed features and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder: A clinical relationship that calls for lithium treatment

Bipolar DisordersVolume 24, Issue 1 p. 8-9 DEBATE Mixed features and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder: A clinical relationship that calls for lithium treatment Francesco Bartoli, Corresponding Author Francesco Bartoli francesco.bartoli@unimib.it orcid.org/0000-0003-2612-4119 Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Bassini Hospital, ASST Nord Milano, Milano, Italy Correspondence Francesco Bartoli, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy. Email: francesco.bartoli@unimib.itSearch for more papers by this author Francesco Bartoli, Corresponding Author Francesco Bartoli francesco.bartoli@unimib.it orcid.org/0000-0003-2612-4119 Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Bassini Hospital, ASST Nord Milano, Milano, Italy Correspondence Francesco Bartoli, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy. Email: francesco.bartoli@unimib.itSearch for more papers by this author First published: 19 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13120Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume24, Issue1February 2022Pages 8-9 RelatedInformation

Prevention of suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder.

Excess mortality is a critical hallmark of bipolar disorder (BD) due to co-occurring general medical disorders and especially from suicide. It is timely to review of the status of suicide in BD and to consider the possibility of limiting suicidal risk. We carried out a semi-systematic review of recent research reports pertaining to suicide in BD. Suicide risk in BD is greater than with most other psychiatric disorders. Suicide rates (per 100,000/year) are approximately 11 and 4 in the adult and juvenile general populations, but over 200 in adults, and 100 among juveniles diagnosed with BD. Suicide attempt rates with BD are at least 20 times higher than in the adult general population, and over 50 times higher among juveniles. Notable suicidal risk factors in BD include: previous suicidal acts, depression, mixed-agitated-dysphoric moods, rapid mood-shifts, impulsivity, and co-occurring substance abuse. Suicide-preventing therapeutics for BD remain severely underdeveloped. Evidence favoring lithium treatment is stronger than for other measures, although encouraging findings are emerging for other treatments. Suicide is a leading clinical challenge for those caring for BD patients. Improved understanding of risk and protective factors combined with knowledge and close follow-up of BD patients should limit suicidal risk. Ethically appropriate and scientifically sound studies of plausible medicinal, physical, and psychosocial treatments aimed at suicide prevention specifically for BD patients are urgently needed.

Polygenic risk for anxiety influences anxiety comorbidity and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is often comorbid with anxiety, which is itself associated with poorer clinical outcomes, including suicide. A better etiologic understanding of this comorbidity could inform diagnosis and treatment. The present study aims to test whether comorbid anxiety in bipolar disorder reflects shared genetic risk factors. We also sought to assess the contribution of genetic risk for anxiety to suicide attempts in bipolar disorder. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were calculated from published genome-wide association studies of samples of controls and cases with anxiety (n = 83,566) or bipolar disorder (n = 51,710), then scored in independent target samples (total n = 3369) of individuals with bipolar disorder who reported or denied lifetime anxiety disorders or suicidal attempts in research interviews. Participants were recruited from clinical and nonclinical settings and genotyped for common genetic variants. The results show that polygenic risk for anxiety was associated with comorbid anxiety disorders and suicide attempts in bipolar disorder, while polygenic risk for bipolar disorder was not associated with any of these variables. Our findings point out that comorbid anxiety disorders in bipolar disorder reflect a dual burden of bipolar and anxiety-related genes; the latter may also contribute to suicide attempts. Clinical care that recognizes and addresses this dual burden may help improve outcomes in people living with comorbid bipolar and anxiety disorders.

Qualitative investigation of relatives’ and service users’ experience of mental healthcare for suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder

ObjectivePeople with bipolar disorder are known to be at high risk of engaging in suicidal behaviours, and those who die by suicide have often been in recent contact with mental...

Assessment of suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder

Amaç: Bu çalışmada düzenli olarak Bipolar Bozukluk tanısıyla izlenen hastalarda özkıyım davranışının, hastaların sosyodemografik ve klinik özellikleri, dürtüsellik ve çocukluk çağı travmaları ile ilişkisi araştırılmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya polikliniğimize başvuran Bipolar Bozukluk tanısıyla izlenen 91 hasta dahil edilmiştir. Çalışma verileri tarafımızca oluşturulan Duygudurum Bozuklukları Hasta Kayıt Formu, SCID-I, SCID-II, Young Mani Değerlendirme Ölçeği, Hamilton Depresyon Değerlendirme Ölçeği, Özkıyım Davranışı Ölçeği, Çocukluk Çağı Travmaları Ölçeği ve Barratt Dürtüsellik Ölçeği kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Tüm tanısal işlemler ve görüşmeler aynı psikiyatrist tarafından yapılmıştır.Bulgular:Çalışmaya dahil edilen 91 hastanın 52’si kadın, 39’u erkekti. Çalışmamızda 91 bipolar bozukluk hastasının 40’ında özkıyım girişimi öyküsü vardı. Özkıyım girişiminde bulunan grupta hastalık sürecinin daha çok depresif ve karma ataklarla seyrettiği, ataklar arası dönemde işlevselliğin kısmi etkilenmiş olduğunu ve psikotik özellikli daha ağır atak sıklığının daha fazla olduğunu bulduk. Bunun yanında iki grup arasında çocukluk çağı travmaları ve dürtüsellik için istatiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki bulamadık.Sonuç:Bipolar Bozukluk yaşam boyu süren ve işlevselliği büyük oranda bozan bir hastalıktır. Bipolar bozukluk yüksek oranlarda özkıyım girişimi ve tamamlanmış özkıyım ile ilişkilidir. Bu açıdan özkıyım davranışında bulunan hastalarla bulunmayan hastalar arasındaki sosyodemografik, klinik ve diğer değişkenlerin araştırılması ve olası risk faktörlerinin tespiti hastalarda gelişebilecek olası özkıyım davranışını önlemede etkili olacaktır.

Oxidative stress biomarkers in bipolar disorder with suicidal behavior: A systematic review

Oxidative stress has been implicated in suicidal behavior and bipolar disorder (BD), respectively. However, the role of oxidative stress as a biomarker of suicidal behavior in BD remains inconclusive. This systematic review aims to determine the association between oxidative stress biomarkers and suicidal behavior among BD patients. All human studies from Scopus and Ovid Medline up until August 2017 on suicidal behavior, BD, and oxidative stress biomarkers were included according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of five studies met the eligibility criteria, of which 4 were case–control studies. Three studies identified at least one biomarker with significant association between suicidal acts and oxidative stress biomarkers (i.e., increased lipid peroxidation and NOS3 rs 1799983 TT genotype) in previous suicide attempt and increased deoxyribonucleic acid damage in suicide among sample populations with BD patients. No study reported conclusive associations between Ala-9 Val manganese superoxide dismutase or Pro 197 Leu glutathione peroxidase gene polymorphisms; or levels of nitric oxide metabolites, plasma total antioxidant potential, and malondialdehyde with suicidal acts among BD patients. Based on this systematic review, there is limited evidence of any association of the association between oxidative stress biomarkers and suicidal acts in BD patients. Definitive conclusions could not be ascertained due to lack of homogenous properly controlled and adequately powered studies. Future systematically well-designed and larger, prospective studies are warranted to clarify the role of oxidative stress pathways in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior in BD.

117. Neurodevelopment of Suicidal Behavior in Bipolar Disorder

It is estimated 50% of individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) will attempt suicide and 15-20% will die by suicide. Adolescence/young adulthood is a critical period during which suicide behavior often manifests. In this talk, a model for the development of suicidal ideation and behavior during adolescence/young adulthood, and cross-sectional and longitudinal multimodality neuroimaging data to support the model, will be presented.

Suicidal behavior in the context of disrupted rhythmicity in bipolar disorder—Complementary research of clock genes with suicide risks factors and course of disease

Former findings indicate that suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder is associated with clock genes. Additionally, numerous non-genetic risk factors are potentially associated with suicidal behavior. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of the relationship between clock genes (as distal risk factors) with clinical characteristics and the course of bipolar disorder. We also tried to obtain a predictive model for suicide attempts based on clinical and genetic data.We found associations between selected polymorphisms and:–the number of depressive episodes (TIMELESS, PER3);–the average number of depressive episodes per year of illness (TIMELESS, ARNTL);–the ratio of depressive and hypo/manic episodes (TIMELESS);–the family history of suicidal attempt(s) (TIMELESS).

143. Cognitive Distortions Associated with Suicidal Behaviour in Bipolar Disorder I and II

143. Cognitive Distortions Associated with Suicidal Behaviour in Bipolar Disorder I and II

Is history of suicidal behavior related to social support and quality of life in outpatients with bipolar I disorder?

Bipolar disorder (BD) affects the social functioning and quality of life (QoL) of its patients. This study aimed to investigate whether there is an association between social support (SS), and suicidal behavior in BD I patients compared to healthy controls; secondarily, we evaluated the influence of QoL on those variables. A total of 119 euthymic outpatients with BD I, 46 of whom had attempted suicide (SAs) and 73 who had not (non-SAs), were compared to 63 healthy controls, through the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Scale and World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument. No differences were noted in SS and QoL between SAs and non-SAs. Compared to healthy controls, non-SAs showed lower values in the positive social interaction domain of SS, and the patients, as a whole, showed lower values in affectionate and positive social interaction domains of SS. Compared to healthy controls, SAs had lower values in the environmental domain of QoL, and the patients, as a whole, had lower values in the environmental, social, and psychological domains of QoL. There was positive correlation between SS and QoL. Although BD is a disabling disease, patients receive inadequate SS. Interventions that may alter the SS in these patients should be investigated.

Association between Sirtuin 1 Gene rs10997870 Polymorphism and Suicide Behaviors in Bipolar Disorder

Background/Aims: Suicidal behavior (SB) in bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex multifactorial event resulting from an interaction of genetic, neurobiological and psychosocial factors. Recent studies identified new possible mechanisms, suggesting a role for sirtuins (SIRTs 1-7), a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzymes with a multifaceted role in the central nervous system. The aims of the present study were: (1) to investigate the effects of the rs10997870 SIRT1 gene variant on SB in BD; (2) to explore the effects of the same gene variant on specific depressive symptoms at the severest episode. Methods: One hundred and eighty DSM-IV bipolar outpatients were enrolled in a naturalistic cohort study. The rs10997870 polymorphism within the SIRT1 gene was analyzed. Results: An association between the GG genotype and SB was detected (lifetime: p = 0.015). Compared to other genotypes, GG carriers presented more frequently psychomotor agitation (p = 0.009) and a higher Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score (p = 0.014) at the severest depressive episode. SB and psychomotor agitation were found to be associated with GG carriers and G allele in a multivariate analysis as well. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a role of the rs10997870 SIRT1 gene variant in SB amongst BD patients and its association with specific depressive symptoms. Despite a number of limitations of this exploratory study, our results may provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying SB in BD.

Economic impact of suicidality in manic patients with depressive features

IntroductionThere is limited information published on the specific financial costs of completed and/or attempted suicide in bipolar patients. In the last 15 years, only 6 studies were published. Their results vary considerably due to differences in methods used. Also, information on cost for pure manic versus mixed episodes is lacking. This is surprising, since studies have shown that suicidal behaviour is more common among patients with depressive symptoms than with pure mania, and this difference increases considerably when the mixed-features specifier is applied.ObjectivesWe conducted a registry study with the aim to expand the epidemiological information on suicidal behaviour by episode type in bipolar disorder, and its associated costs.MethodsHealth data were retrieved from the Swedish Patient Register. Data covered the period 1990–2014 and included the number of discharged patients with bipolar diagnosis, hospital re-admissions, and attempted and/or completed suicides. Moreover, we retrieved data on suicide and cause of death from the Swedish Cause of Death register. Analyses were done for the whole sample and stratified by subtypes (mania, depression and mixed forms).ResultsFirst results will be presented at the EPA meeting.ConclusionsThis is a nation-wide Swedish study of completed and attempted suicide in bipolar patients. The hypothesis we will test is that there is a substantial variation between different bipolar disorder subtypes, and that most of the expenditures due to suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder are linked to mixed forms, mania in combination with depression.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The rapid suicide protection of mood stabilizers on patients with bipolar disorder: A nationwide observational cohort study in Taiwan

BackgroundThe suicide rate is high among bipolar disorder (BD) patients. Previous studies have focused on the anti-suicidal effect of long-term treatment with mood stabilizers but less on the immediate preventive effects of interventions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the short-term and immediate anti-suicidal effects of mood stabilizers on recent-onset BD patients. MethodsThe National Health Insurance Database (NHID) of Taiwan was used to perform a nationwide cohort observation study of suicide behaviors in bipolar disorder. All the recent-onset BD patients (ICD-9-CM code 296 except 296.2 and 296.3) diagnosed between 2000–2005 were collected (n=5091) and followed through 2009. The primary endpoint was the presence of a suicide code or the end of observation; exposure to mood stabilizers in the final month of observation was the independent variable. ResultsThe hazard ratios (HRs) of suicide-related events, completed suicide, and all-cause mortality were significantly lower for those treated with lithium, divalproex, or carbamazepine compared with no use in the last month (HRs of suicide-related events were 0.10, 0.14 and 0.10, respectively, and all-cause mortality HRs were 0.03; P<0.0001); there was no significant difference in HR between the mood stabilizers. LimitationsThe NIHD does not provide information on the severity, mood status, or treatment adherence of BD patients. Neither substance-related disorder nor personality disorder were included in the analysis. We focused on the effect of the final prescription time period, not the long-term protective effect. ConclusionsThe immediate recent use of any mood stabilizer significantly lowers the rate of death, suicide, or suicidal behavior in BD.