title: Delusional disorder: no gender differences in age at onset, suicidal ideation, or suicidal behavior.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate gender differences in age at onset, psychopathology, and suicidal behavior rates in delusional disorder (DD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 97 patients with DD. Demographic and clinical data at baseline were recorded. Gender differences were investigated by applying analysis of covariance, using age at onset and age at first psychiatric consultation as dependent variables, comorbid depression and gender as between-subject factors, and employment status, social support, and DD types as covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-six percent of the patients were women. The average age at onset was 48.76 ± 12.67 years, mean age at first psychiatric consultation was 54.13 ± 13.67 years, and men were more likely to be employed than women (p = 0.041). Despite the earlier age at onset and at first psychiatric consultation in men, these differences tended to disappear when adjusted for potential confounders. There were no significant gender differences in depressive comorbidity, presence of suicidal ideation and behavior, or compliance rates at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings could not confirm that male and female DD patients differ in age at onset, age at first psychiatric consultation, or suicidal ideation and behavior, even after controlling for potential confounders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, Terrassa, Spain.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Molina-Andreu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristóbal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gastó
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Penadés
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Catalán
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000523:psychology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology