Citation

Winer ES, Nadorff MR, Ellis TE, Allen JG, Herrera S, Salem T. Psychiatry Res. 2014; 218(1-2): 124-128.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 6161, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2014.04.016

PMID

24774075

Abstract

This study examined the relationship among symptoms of anhedonia and suicidal ideation at baseline, at termination, and over time in 1529 adult psychiatric inpatients. Anhedonia was associated with suicidality cross-sectionally at baseline and at termination. In addition, change in anhedonia from baseline to termination predicted change in suicidality from baseline to termination, as well as level of suicidality at termination; moreover, anhedonia remained a robust predictor of suicidal ideation independent of cognitive/affective symptoms of depression. Symptom-level analyses also revealed that, even after accounting for the physical aspect of anhedonia (e.g., loss of energy), loss of interest and loss of pleasure were independently associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation at baseline, over time, and at discharge. Loss of interest was most highly predictive of suicidal ideation, providing support for recent differential conceptualizations of anhedonia. Taken together, these findings indicate that the manner in which anhedonia is conceptualized is important in predicting suicidal ideation, and that anhedonia symptoms warrant particular clinical attention in the treatment of suicidal patients.

Language: en