Neuroactive Steroids and Suicidality in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

130 male veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder enrolled in a larger study during inpatient hospitalization were assessed for suicidal ideation or suicide attempt in the previous 6 months. The authors investigated associations between neuroactive steroids & suicidality. High rates of suicidality were observed. Close to 70% of these patients had suicidal thoughts & 25% had attempted suicide in the last 6 months. Patients who had attempted suicide demonstrated significantly higher median dehydroepiandrosterone levels than those who had not attempted suicide, an association that persisted after adjustmet for age. (29 refs.)