Citation

Dombrovski AY, Butters MA, Reynolds CF, Houck PR, Clark L, Mazumdar S, Szanto K. Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 2008; 16(2): 109-115.

Affiliation

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and the School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1097/JGP.0b013e3180f6338d

PMID

18239196

PMCID

PMC2671399

Abstract

Objective: Deficits in executive functions may play an important role in late-life suicide; however the association is understudied. This study examined cognitive function in general and executive functioning specifically in depressed elderly with and without suicidal ideation and attempts. Design: Case-control study. Setting: University-affiliated psychiatric hospital. Participants: We compared 32 suicidal depressed participants aged 60 and older with 32 non-suicidal depressed participants equated for age, education, and gender. Measurements: We assessed global cognitive function and executive function with the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) and the Executive Interview (EXIT25), respectively. Results: Suicidal and non-suicidal depressed groups were comparable in terms of severity of depression and burden of physical illness. Suicidal participants performed worse on the EXIT25, and on the DRS total scale, as well as on Memory and Attention subscales. The differences were not explained by the presence of dementia, substance use, medication exposure, or brain injury from suicide attempts. Conclusions: Poor performance on tests of executive function, attention, and memory is associated with suicidal behavior in late-life depression.

Language: en