Family history of suicide: a clinical marker for major depression in primary care practice?
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate the family history of suicide among primary care patients with or without current major depressive episode (MDE).


METHODS
This study was performed in 2 GP practices in Budapest on 255 consecutively investigated primary care attendees. The diagnosis of current MDE (symptomatic MDE or MDE in partial remission) was made by the Hungarian version of the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD). Family history of suicide was rated as positive where the patients reported at least one first or second degree relative with completed suicide.


RESULTS
Out of the 255 consecutively investigated patients 45 (17.6%) have had current MDE and 24 (9.4%) have had positive family history of suicide. The family history of suicide was significantly more common among patients with current MDE than among those without it (26.6% vs 5.7%, p=0.0001). Fifty percent of patients with, and 14.3% of patients without family history of suicide have had current MDE (p=0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Small sample size, and lacking data on fully remitted major depressives as well as on comorbid psychiatric and medical disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
History of completed suicide among first or second degree relatives could be a good and simple clinical marker for current and lifetime MDE in primary care patients.
Torzsa
Peter
P
Department of Family Medicine, Kutvolgyi Clinical Center, Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, Kutvolgyi ut 4, 1125 Budapest, Hungary.
Rihmer
Zoltan
Z
Gonda
Xenia
X
Szokontor
Nora
N
Sebestyen
Bea
B
Faludi
Gabor
G
Kalabay
Laszlo
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention