Defense styles, impulsivity and suicide attempts in major depression.
BACKGROUND
The aim of our study was to identify if defense mechanisms are associated with impulsivity and lifetime suicide attempts in depressed patients.


METHODS
The Defense Style Questionnaire, the Impulsivity Rating Scale and the Impulse Control Scale were used in 77 depressed inpatients.


RESULTS
Impulsivity was correlated positively with immature and neurotic styles and negatively with mature style. Some but not all defense mechanisms were relevant in this respect. The number of lifetime suicide attempts was positively correlated not only with impulsivity, but also with immature style and to a lesser extent with neurotic style. Several defense mechanisms were involved in these correlations: undoing, projection, passive aggression, acting out, splitting and somatization.


CONCLUSIONS
Like impulsivity, defense styles may be relevant to discriminate recurrent suicide attempters in depression. Prospective assessment of defense styles and suicide attempts in depression is needed.
Corruble
Emmanuelle
E
Psychiatry Department, Bicêtre Hospital, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris XI University, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, Paris, France. emmanuelle.coruble@bct.ap-hop-paris.fr
Hatem
Nizar
N
Damy
Claire
C
Falissard
Bruno
B
Guelfi
Julien-Daniel
JD
Reynaud
Michel
M
Hardy
Patrick
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data