Depression and Medical Comorbidity: red Flags for Current Suicidal Ideation in Primary Care

This article discusses the need to enhance primary care physicians’ ability to distinguish patients at elevated risk of suicide from the larger number who present for care with emotional & behavioral problems. The authors address the association of pulmonary disease with suicidal ideation, & suggest that primary care physicians should remember that suicidal ideation may occur in the presence of medical illness without depression in order to ensure that patients receive the necessary treatment. (25 refs)