Pretreatment Frontal EEG and Changes in Suicidal Ideation During SSRI Treatment in Major Depressive Disorder

The frontal quantitative EEG as a predictor of changes in suicide ideation during selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment in major depressive disorder was investigated. 82 subjects entered an 8-week, prospective, open-label treatment with flexible dose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors & completed at least 4 weeks of treatment. Major depressive disorder severity was assessed with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, change in suicidal ideation was monitored, & four-channel EEGs were recorded before treatment. During the first 4 weeks of treatment, 9 subjects experienced worsening suicide ideation. Left-right asymmetry of combined theta and alpha power correlated significantly with change in suicide ideation from baseline, even when adjusting for changes in depression severity & type of antidepressant used. (31 refs.)