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Abstract
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AIM: To compare the differences of the parental age at delivery and birth order between the unipolar depression and bipolar depression patients with suicidal behavior.
METHODS: All patients with depression who had been diagnosed without serious systemic diseases or organic brain syndrome in accordance with Chinese Classification Mental Disorders, Third Edition (CCMD-3) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), were selected from the outpatients or inpatients of Wuxi Mental Health Center from July 1983 to June 2003, consisting of 59 unipolar depression patients and 31 bipolar depression patients. Self-drafted questionnaire (including such parameters as social demographic data, characters and times of episode, and suicide of patients and their first degree relatives) was surveyed in each family by two attending physicians or more professional psychiatrists. Each of these patients was re-diagnosed by two psychopathists unknown to each other. Face-to-face detection was performed in all the probands and their first degree relatives with suicidal behavior, and the detection rate was over 95%, but letter survey (53%) and face-to-face detection (47%) were used in the probands' first degree relatives without suicidal behavior. One or two relatives of the probands who had been dead or could not provide their data through face-to-face detection were asked to fill in the questionnaire about these probands' related conditions. Haldance and Smith procedures were used to study the effects of parental age at delivery and birth order in the unipolar depression and bipolar depression with suicidal behavior.
RESULTS: A total of 151 patients were enrolled, and 122 ones completed the survey, among them, 59 patients suffering from unipolar depressive disorder with suicidal behavior and 31 patients suffering from bipolar depression with suicidal behavior were collected. 1The birth order of unipolar depression patients were the first of 13 cases, the second of 15 cases, the third of 13 cases, the fourth of 8 cases, the fifth of 8 cases and the seventh of 2 cases, whereas 10 cases, 11 cases, 7 cases, 1 case, 2 cases and 0 case for those with bipolar depression. 2Parental age and birth order were significantly related to suicidal behavior in unipolar depression (C=2.4 > 2, P < 0.01, 6A > X6A), while there was no significant difference of parental age and birth order to bipolar depression with suicidal behavior (C=0.74 < 2, P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The older parental age at delivery and the later birth order are more vulnerable to suicidal behavior in unipolar depression patients, which is unobvious in patients with bipolar depression. The finding suggests that marriage and delivery at proper age has an important implication to prevent unipolar depression with suicidal behavior.
Language: zh |