Clinical Predictors of Suicide in Patients With Major Affective Disorders: A Controlled Prospective Study

The authors report prospective uniform clinical data differentiating 25 patients who committed suicide out of a group of 954 patients with major affective disorder followed for an average of 4 years. Hopelessness, loss of pleasure or interest, & mood cycling during the index episode differentiated the suicide group. Diagnostic subcategories, suicidal ideation at entry to the study, suicide attempts during current or past episodes & severity of prior attempts did not differentiate them. 30 Refs.