Citation

Myers AK, Grannemann BD, Lingvay I, Trivedi MH. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013; 38(11): 2810-2814.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States; Division of Endocrinology, University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States. Electronic address: dr.akmyers@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.06.013

PMID

23978666

Abstract

AIM: To assess past suicide attempts in a cohort of adults with Type 2 Diabetes diagnosed within the prior 24 months. METHODS: Outpatients were recruited from diabetes education classes or diabetes shared medical appointment. Participants aged 18 or over with a self-reported diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) in the prior 24 months completed questionnaires about medical (including diabetes), psychiatric, and social history. Participants also completed two screening questionnaires for depression: Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and the Questionnaire Inventory for Depressive Symptoms-Self Report. Those who screened positive for depression had confirmatory testing with a clinician administered Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) checklist. RESULTS: In this convenience sample of 145 patients with Type 2 Diabetes, 9.7% of patients had history of a suicide attempt and 38.2% met diagnosis for major depressive disorder (MDD). Patients with MDD were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts than those without MDD (p=0.0002). Of the patients with prior suicide attempts, 50% screened positive for MDD at the time of the survey. CONCLUSION: In patients with newly-diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes the rate of past suicide attempts was nearly 10%, which is twice the rate seen in the general population. The rate of past suicide attempts in currently depressed patients with diabetes is 21.8%. These findings suggest the need for monitoring patients with diabetes and depression for future suicide risk.

Language: en