Depressive Characteristics of Adult Psychiatric Inpatients With a History of Multiple Versus one or no Suicide Attempts

This study sought to determine which specific depressive characteristics differentiate multiple attempters from patients with 1 or no previous attempts. Participants were 121 adult psychiatric inpatients with depression. Patients with a history of multiple suicide attempts exhibited higher levels of suicide ideation & depressive symptoms, but not hopelessness or dysfunctional attitudes, than the other two groups. In addition, multiple attempters reported an earlier age of major depression onset. These results add to a growing body of reseach suggesting multiple attempters may present a distinct patient population. (37 refs.) JA