title: Prospective study of risk factors for suicidal behavior in individuals with anxiety disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anxiety disorders are very common and increase risk for suicide attempts. Little is known about predictors of increased risk specifically among individuals with anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether specific anxiety disorders and other co-morbid psychiatric disorders, physical health, or work or social functioning increased the future likelihood of a suicide attempts among individuals with anxiety disorders. Method In this prospective study, 676 individuals with an anxiety disorder were followed for an average of 12 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As hypothesized, we found that post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), intermittent depressive disorder (IDD), epilepsy, pain, and poor work and social functioning all predicted a shorter time to a suicide attempt in univariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, baseline MDD and IDD were independent predictors of time to suicide attempt, even when controlling for a past history of suicide attempt. No specific anxiety disorder was an independent predictor of time to attempt in this anxiety-disordered sample. Adding baseline physical health variables and social functioning did not improve the ability of the model to predict time to suicide attempt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mood disorders and past history of suicide attempts are the most powerful predictors of a future suicide attempt in this sample of individuals, all of whom have an anxiety disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Department of Family Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA. luebelacker@butler.org
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Uebelacker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weisberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Millman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*