Citation

Claassen CA. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 36.

Affiliation

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Psychiatry, MC 9119, TX 75390-9119 Dallas, USA. (cindy.claassen@utsouthwestern.edu)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16963894

Abstract

Impulsive aggression has been described as a stable personality trait which can be inherited, and is common among those who attempt suicide. Yet, as they apply to suicidal states, neither the trait's stability over time nor the clinical conditions under which it triggers destructive behavior are well understood. This project measured maladaptive impulsive aggressive trait expression and characterized its time course prospectively among three emergency department patient groups: a) suicide attempters, b) suicide ideators, and c) (accidental) traumatic injury patients. Analyses revealed that 55% of all study patients (n=298) met criteria as impulsive aggressive, and there was no statistical difference in frequency between the two groups of suicidal patients (p=0.83). However, the intensity of impulsivity and aggression varied significantly between those being treated for suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. Across time, classification as highly impulsive-aggressive remained stable for 68.1% of subjects, suggesting that this personality characteristic is trait-like in some, and can be induced in others (e.g., is "state-like"). Greater numbers of suicidal patients changed status, compared to those who sustained accidental injuries.

Language: en