title: Death Ideation and Suicidal Ideation in a Community Sample Who Do Not Meet Criteria for Major Depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide is strongly associated with depression, but many without depression have thoughts of death.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize persons who did not meet criteria for depressive illness but endorsed death ideation or suicidal ideation over the course of a 10-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects included 753 participants of the Baltimore sample of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program, a population-based 10-year follow-up survey, who neither met criteria for major depressive disorder nor reported death or suicidal ideation in 1994.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Persons with death ideation or suicidal ideation in 2004 were generally distressed as measured by the General Health Questionnaire. At baseline, both groups endorsed difficulty with concentration, feeling unhappy, and taking things hard. Functional problems such as social withdrawal were endorsed by both groups. Those with suicidal ideation had a longer lifetime history of social phobia. Persons with death ideation did not use more health services but sought help from persons in their social network.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thoughts of death are associated with distress even in persons who do not have depressive illness. This group of persons may have subclinical depressive symptoms that will not be detected by depression screening. Detection of these persons will require broadening our concept of persons at risk.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Seungyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gallo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D003643:Death; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072861:Phobia, Social / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: death ideation; major depressive disorder; suicidal ideation