Citation

Chang CC, Tzeng NS, Kao YC, Yeh CB, Chang HA. Psychiatry Res. 2017; 258: 449-456.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: chang.ha@mail.ndmctsgh.edu.tw.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.076

PMID

28886903

Abstract

Studies investigating inflammatory status and autonomic functioning simultaneously in depressed patients with current suicidal ideation (SI) are lacking. We recruited 58 unmedicated depressed patients with current SI but without lifetime history of suicidal behavior, as well as 61 equally depressed patients without lifetime history of SI or suicidal behavior. We measured serum cortisol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and autonomic functioning evaluated by frequency-domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV). The intensity of current SI was rated with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Chronic psychological stress was assessed using the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Patients with current SI showed higher hs-CRP and ESR but lower variance (total HRV), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF) HRV than those without lifetime history of SI. We found no differences in cortisol levels and PSS scores. The intensity of current SI was negatively correlated with variance, LF, and HF but positively correlated with hs-CRP. Our results help improve the understanding of the relationships among current SI, inflammation, and autonomic functioning in depressed patients. The combined use of inflammatory markers and HRV indices may one day be applied in predicting and monitoring patients' suicide risk.

Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

Cardiac autonomic function; Inflammation, heart rate variability; Major depressive disorder; Suicidal ideation