Citation

Fawcett JA, Scheftner WA, Fogg L, Clark DC, Young MA, Hedeker D, Gibbons R. Am. J. Psychiatry 1990; 147(9): 1189-1194.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612.

Comment In:

Am J Psychiatry 1991;148(8):1092-3.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2104515

Abstract

The authors studied 954 psychiatric patients with major affective disorders and found that nine clinical features were associated with suicide. Six of these--panic attacks, severe psychic anxiety, diminished concentration, global insomnia, moderate alcohol abuse, and severe loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia)--were associated with suicide within 1 year, and three others--severe hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and history of previous suicide attempts--were associated with suicide occurring after 1 year. These findings draw attention to the importance of 1) standardized prospective data for studies of suicide, 2) assessment of short-term suicide risk factors, and 3) anxiety symptoms as modifiable suicide risk factors within a clinically relevant period.

Language: en