A new study claims to have identified a clear pattern of behaviors that can help predict if someone is likely to commit suicide.
The international study looked at the data of 2,811 patients suffering from depression; 22 percent of them had already attempted suicide. The researchers developed a standard evaluation and had each patient undergo the assessment with a psychiatrist. The patients were asked about their previous suicide attempts and family history. The evaluation also factored in the treatment, clinical data and other information.
After completing the data, the researchers compared the data of those who had attempted suicide to those who were also depressed but did not try to kill themselves. Their analysis found a clear pattern of events prior to one's suicide attempt.
'We found that 'depressive mixed states' often preceded suicide attempts. A depressive mixed state is where a patient is depressed, but also has symptoms of 'excitation,' or mania. We found this significantly more in patients who had previously attempted suicide, than those who had not. In fact, 40% of all the depressed patients who attempted suicide had a 'mixed episode' rather than just depression. All the patients who suffer from mixed depression are at much higher risk of suicide," Dr. Dina Popovic, study lead author from the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, in Spain, said in a news release from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP).
The researchers also found that those who made suicide attempts displayed risky behavior such as reckless driving, psychomotor agitation such as pacing around a room or wringing one's arms, and impulsivity. These people showed a 50 percent higher risk of committing suicide.
The findings of the study can be used in improving the care provided to patients suffering from depression. According to the CDC, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States wherein 105 Americans kill themselves per day.
"Most of these symptoms will not be spontaneously referred by the patient, the clinician needs to inquire directly, and many clinicians may not be aware of the importance of looking at these symptoms before deciding to treat depressed patients," Popovic added.
The study is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
