Skin conductance habituation and cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in suicidal patients.
The concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and psychophysiologic variables, such as habituation of the skin conductance response, were measured in 35 drug-free, suicidal inpatients. Twenty-four patients were hospitalized after a suicide attempt, and another 11 had suicidal ideation. The suicide attempters were classified into nonviolent (drug overdoses taken orally, or a single wrist cut) and violent (all other methods). As in previous studies, the suicide attempters had significantly lower CSF concentrations of 5-HIAA compared with healthy, matched controls. The distribution of habituation rate was bimodal (slow and fast habituators). All violent attempters were fast habituators, as were all four patients who in a one-year follow-up were found to have completed a suicide (all by violent methods). The lowest frequency of fast habituators was found in the group of patients with suicidal ideation. There was no correlation between CSF 5-HIAA and habituation rate. A combination of these two variables yielded a highly significant correlation with type of suicide behavior, both retrospectively and prospectively.
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009567:Nitrazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010076:Oxazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence
D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D010076:Oxazepam; D009567:Nitrazepam