Suicidal behavior in depression: relationship to noradrenergic function.
We examined for relationships between suicidal behavior and noradrenergic function in depression. We compared depressed patients who had or had never attempted suicide and controls on cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and urinary indices of noradrenergic function. There was no consistent pattern of significant findings in relationship to depressed patients who had attempted suicide. Thus, these essentially negative results suggest that the noradrenergic system is probably not a major determinant of suicidal behavior in depressed patients.
Roy
A
A
Laboratory of Clinical Studies, DICBR, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Pickar
D
D
De Jong
J
J
Karoum
F
F
Linnoila
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000378:metabolism; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000378:metabolism; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D009647:Normetanephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
D009647:Normetanephrine; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D009638:Norepinephrine