title: A study of suicidal thoughts in acute stroke patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In previous studies, suicidal thoughts in stroke patients were related to depression and recurrent stroke. The aim of this study was to describe the presence and correlates of suicidal thoughts in acute stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the presence of suicidal thoughts in a sample of 177 consecutive acute stroke patients (≤ 4 days), using the item "suicidal thoughts" of the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen percent of acute stroke patients had suicidal thoughts, 22% of them with explicit plans to complete suicide. Suicidal thoughts were more frequent in patients with a lower educational level (Chi-square 4.69; P = .05), previous mood disorder (Chi-square 12.80; P = .001), diabetes (Chi-square 5.48; P = .04), and acute depression (Chi-square 16.59; P = .001). In logistic regression, a lower educational level (odds ratio [OR] 5.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80-33.29), diabetes (OR 3.15; 95% CI 0.81-12.28), a previous mood disorder (OR 4.22; 95% CI 1.12-15.86), and depression (OR 7.82; 95% CI 1.58-38.71) were independent factors predicting suicidal thoughts (R(2) = 0.39%). The 23 depressed acute stroke patients with suicidal thoughts were similar in demographic, clinical, and lesion variables, and were similar in profile of depression to the 63 patients with depression but without suicidal thoughts, except for a higher frequency of a previous mood disorder in the former group (Chi-square 7.87; P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicidal thoughts may develop shortly after the onset of acute stroke, especially in patients with a lower educational level, a previous mood disorder, and those who developed depressive symptoms in the acute phase of stroke. The high frequency of suicidal thoughts makes the assessment of suicidal behavior in patients with acute stroke an important clinical issue.
authors: Stroke Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. acosta@fm.ul.pt
authors: Catarina Oliveira
authors: CO
authors: Santos
authors: Lara
authors: L
authors: Caeiro
authors: José M
authors: JM
authors: Ferro
authors: Maria Luísa
authors: ML
authors: Figueira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D055815:Young Adult