
Evidence Points to Psychotic Symptoms as Clinical Marker for Suicide Attempts
Adolescents with psychopathology who also experience psychotic symptoms have a nearly 70-fold increased odds of acute suicide attempts, according to new research.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"15839","attributes":{"alt":"suicide risk in adolescents","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_2724683993700","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"830","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"margin: 4px; float: right;","title":" ","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]Adolescents with psychopathology who also experience psychotic symptoms have a nearly 70-fold increased odds of acute suicide attempts,
Researchers followed 1112 school-based adolescents (aged 13 to 16 years), who were assessed at baseline and then again at 3 and 12 months for self-reported psychopathology, psychotic symptoms, and suicide attempts. At the 3-month mark, only 1% of those without
The researchers explained, “Psychotic symptoms may be a marker of increasing severity of psychopathology, including increased nonpsychotic psychiatric symptom burden and multimorbidity, that indexes risk for suicidal behavior.”1
Clinically, they added, this research shows “the need for a new clinical focus on careful assessment of psychotic symptoms (both attenuated and frank) in patients with nonpsychotic disorders; this should be considered a key element of
References:
1. Kelleher I, Corcoran P, Keeley H, et al. Psychotic symptoms and population risk for suicide attempt: a prospective cohort study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 17 [Epub ahead of print].
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