title: Suicidal intent and the HPA-axis characteristics of suicide attempters with major depressive disorder and adjustment disorders.
abstract: The main purpose of the study was to investigate Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis characteristics in relation to suicidal intent among suicide attempters with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Adjustment Disorders (AD). The relationship between suicidal intent, assessed by means of the Suicidal Intent Scale (SIS), and serum cortisol after a Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was investigated in 78 suicide attempters, divided into diagnostic subgroups. There was a significant negative correlation between suicidal intent and post DST cortisol in patients with MDD. Our findings may be attributed to pathophysiological processes, where a high suicidal intent is revealed during a potential chronic course of MDD, which in turn results in a seemingly normal stress system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, Sweden. Daniel.Lindqvist@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lindqvist
authors.forename: Lil
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Träskman-Bendz
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vang
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*