title: Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with both major depression and personality disorders have a high risk of suicidal behavior. Lithium is meant to have anti-suicidal properties in patients with affective disorders. The anti-suicidal effect of lithium in patients with affective disorders and comorbid personality disorders has not been investigated yet.
  
  
  METHODS
  A post-hoc analysis of a subsample of patients with depression and comorbid personality disorder (PD) and a recent suicide attempt (n = 19) from the prospective, placebo-controlled lithium intervention study (N = 167), was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three patients in the lithium group (n = 8) and two patients in the placebo group (n = 11) presented a suicide attempt throughout the course of the study. No differences related to suicidal behavior could be detected between the placebo group and the group with lithium intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of the small sample size, among patients with comorbid PD, lithium does not seem to have an effect on suicidal behavior in contrast to patients with affective disorders without comorbid PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Felicitas
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rombold
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lauterbach
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Felber
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mueller-Oerlinghausen
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahrens
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bronisch
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kilb
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lewitzka
authors.forename: Kneginja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Broocks
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heuser
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hohagen
authors.forename: Arnim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quante
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016651:Lithium Carbonate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D016651:Lithium Carbonate
keywords: Lithium; affective disorders; major depression; personality disorder; suicide