The role of clinical and Personological features in predicting high lethality suicide attempts: A study among mood disorder patients

Suicidal attempts (SA) represent heterogeneous behaviours ranging in their seriousness from fatal and near-fatal (high-lethality) cases to those that do not require medical attention (low lethality). These considerations stress the need to identify high-risk individuals for high lethality SA in order to target suicide preventive interventions. The present study aims at evaluating the role of sociodemographic and clinical variables and examining personality pathological features in predicting high lethality SA. The sample was composed by 94 patients who were consecutively admitted to the Mood Disorders Unit of the San Raffaele Turro Hospital in Milan. The results of binary logistic regression analyses showed that previous SA and current suicide ideation play a role in predicting serious SA. Considering the DSM-5 personality dysfunctional domains assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, our logistic regression analyses suggested that high lethality SA was associated with Detachment PID-5 domain. Finally, binary hierarchical regression analysis showed that Detachment domain remained a significant predictor of serious SA over and above the effect of previous SA and suicide ideation. As a whole, our results highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach to develop adequate assessment, effective treatments and prevention of high lethality SA risk.

Automated summary

This study examines the role of sociodemographic and clinical variables as well as personality pathological features in predicting high lethality suicide attempts. The results indicate that previous suicide attempts and current suicide ideation play a role in predicting serious suicide attempts. Specifically, the Detachment domain is associated with high lethality suicide attempts and remains a significant predictor even when considering the effects of previous attempts and ideation.