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Disentangling dysthymia from major depressive disorder in suicide attempters' suicidality, comorbidity and symptomatology.

Holmstrand, Cecilia ; Engström, Gunnar LU and Träskman Bendz, Lil LU (2008) In Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 62(1). p.25-31
Abstract
Dysthymia and major depressive disorder (MDD) are both risk diagnoses for suicidal behaviour. The aim of the present study was to identify clinical differences between these disorders, with a special reference to dysthymia. We studied suicidal behaviour, comorbidity and psychiatric symptoms of inpatient suicide attempters with dysthymia and MDD. We used DSM III-R diagnostics, the Suicide Assessment Scale (SUAS) and the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS), part of which is the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Suicide mortality, number of repeated suicide attempts, method of suicide attempt and comorbidity of Axis I did not differ between the groups. Dysthymia patients, however, suffered more than MDD... (More)
Dysthymia and major depressive disorder (MDD) are both risk diagnoses for suicidal behaviour. The aim of the present study was to identify clinical differences between these disorders, with a special reference to dysthymia. We studied suicidal behaviour, comorbidity and psychiatric symptoms of inpatient suicide attempters with dysthymia and MDD. We used DSM III-R diagnostics, the Suicide Assessment Scale (SUAS) and the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS), part of which is the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Suicide mortality, number of repeated suicide attempts, method of suicide attempt and comorbidity of Axis I did not differ between the groups. Dysthymia patients, however, suffered more than MDD patients from DSM-III-R Axis II diagnoses (above all cluster B). There was no significant difference in Axis III comorbidity. Total SUAS, CPRS and MADRS scores did not differ significantly between the groups. When studying separate SUAS and CPRS items in a multivariate analysis, the CPRS items "aches and pains", "increased speech flow", increased "agitation" and "less tendency to worrying over trifles" as well as young age remained independently associated with dysthymia. Dysthymia patients, who later committed suicide, more often reported increased "aches and pains" than those who did not commit suicide. In this small sample of suicide attempters, we conclude that dysthymia suicide attempters, more often than MDD patients, have a comorbidity with personality disorders, which combined with a picture of aches and pains, could be factors explaining their suicidality. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Comorbidity, Dysthymia, Major depressive disorder, Suicidal behaviour, Symptomatology
in
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
volume
62
issue
1
pages
25 - 31
publisher
Informa Healthcare
external identifiers
  • wos:000255903700004
  • pmid:18389422
  • scopus:41949085316
ISSN
1502-4725
DOI
10.1080/08039480801960164
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f1585596-c839-4afd-a3fc-a787bfead50a (old id 1147771)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:08:31
date last changed
2022-01-26 23:25:13
@article{f1585596-c839-4afd-a3fc-a787bfead50a,
  abstract     = {{Dysthymia and major depressive disorder (MDD) are both risk diagnoses for suicidal behaviour. The aim of the present study was to identify clinical differences between these disorders, with a special reference to dysthymia. We studied suicidal behaviour, comorbidity and psychiatric symptoms of inpatient suicide attempters with dysthymia and MDD. We used DSM III-R diagnostics, the Suicide Assessment Scale (SUAS) and the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS), part of which is the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Suicide mortality, number of repeated suicide attempts, method of suicide attempt and comorbidity of Axis I did not differ between the groups. Dysthymia patients, however, suffered more than MDD patients from DSM-III-R Axis II diagnoses (above all cluster B). There was no significant difference in Axis III comorbidity. Total SUAS, CPRS and MADRS scores did not differ significantly between the groups. When studying separate SUAS and CPRS items in a multivariate analysis, the CPRS items "aches and pains", "increased speech flow", increased "agitation" and "less tendency to worrying over trifles" as well as young age remained independently associated with dysthymia. Dysthymia patients, who later committed suicide, more often reported increased "aches and pains" than those who did not commit suicide. In this small sample of suicide attempters, we conclude that dysthymia suicide attempters, more often than MDD patients, have a comorbidity with personality disorders, which combined with a picture of aches and pains, could be factors explaining their suicidality.}},
  author       = {{Holmstrand, Cecilia and Engström, Gunnar and Träskman Bendz, Lil}},
  issn         = {{1502-4725}},
  keywords     = {{Comorbidity; Dysthymia; Major depressive disorder; Suicidal behaviour; Symptomatology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{25--31}},
  publisher    = {{Informa Healthcare}},
  series       = {{Nordic Journal of Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{Disentangling dysthymia from major depressive disorder in suicide attempters' suicidality, comorbidity and symptomatology.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08039480801960164}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/08039480801960164}},
  volume       = {{62}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}