Year: 2005 Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, v.162, no.9. (September 2005), p.1680-1687 SIEC No: 20060903

In bipolar disorder subjects with either a definite history of attempted suicide or no such history, impulsivity was assessed with a questionnaire & behavioural laboratory performance measures. Subjects with a history of suicide attempts had more impulsive errors on the immediate memory task & had shorter response latencies, especially for impulsive responses. Results suggest that a history of severe suicidal behaviour in patients with bipolar disorder is associated with impulsivity, manifested as a tendency toward rapid, unplanned responses. (54 refs.)