Suicide and bipolar disorder.
Suicide, which is both a stereotypic yet highly individualized act, is a common endpoint for many patients with severe psychiatric illness. The mood disorders (depression and bipolar manic-depression) are by far the most common psychiatric conditions associated with suicide. At least 25% to 50% of patients with bipolar disorder also attempt suicide at least once. With the exception of lithium--which is the most demonstrably effective treatment against suicide-remarkably little is known about specific contributions of mood-altering treatments to minimizing mortality rates in persons with major mood disorders in general and bipolar depression in particular. Suicide is usually a manifestation of severe psychiatric distress that is often associated with a diagnosable and treatable form of depression or other mental illness. In a clinical setting, an assessment of suicidal risk must precede any attempt to treat psychiatric illness.
Jamison
K R
KR
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D008094:Lithium