TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Alexithymia, suicidal ideation, and serum lipid levels among drug-naïve outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder
JO  - Revista brasileira de psiquiatria
A1  - De Berardis, Domenico
A1  - Serroni, Nicola
A1  - Marini, Stefano
A1  - Rapini, Gabriella
A1  - Carano, Alessandro
A1  - Valchera, Alessandro
A1  - Iasevoli, Felice
A1  - Mazza, Monica
A1  - Signorelli, Maria
A1  - Aguglia, Eugenio
A1  - Perna, Giampaolo
A1  - Martinotti, Giovanni
A1  - Varasano, Paola A.
A1  - Pressanti, Gabriella Lucidi
A1  - di Giannantonio, Massimo
SP  - 125
EP  - 130
VL  - 36
IS  - 2
N2  - OBJECTIVE: As obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common psychiatric disorder with a significant suicide risk, the individuation of potential biomarkers of suicidality, such as cholesterol levels, may enable recognition of at-risk subjects. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: 1) evaluate potential differences in clinical and laboratory parameters between patients with and without alexithymia and compare them with healthy controls; and 2) investigate which clinical and laboratory variables were associated with suicidal ideation. <br><br>METHODS: 79 drug-naïve adult outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD were recruited. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), suicidal ideation was assessed with the Scale for Suicide Ideation, and depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Serum lipid levels of 40 healthy controls were also evaluated. <br><br>RESULTS: Alexithymic patients had altered serum lipid levels in comparison with non-alexithymics and healthy controls. Using a linear regression model, the presence of symmetry/ordering obsessions and compulsions, lower HDL-C levels, and difficulty in identifying feelings dimension of the TAS-20 were associated with higher suicidal ideation. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymic individuals with OCD may exhibit dysregulation of the cholesterol balance, which in turn may be linked to suicidal ideation. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate this potential association. .<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1516-4446
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2013-1189
ID  - ref1
ER  -