title: Psychotic spectrum symptoms across the lifespan are related to lifetime suicidality among 147 patients with bipolar I or major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conflicting evidence exists about the relationship between psychotic symptoms and suicidality in mood disorders. We aimed to investigate the lifetime suicidality and its relationship with dimensions of the psychotic spectrum over the lifespan among subjects with bipolar I (BD I) or major depressive disorder (MDD).
  
  
  METHODS
  147 Consecutive out- and inpatients with BD I or MDD presenting for treatment at 11 Italian Departments of Psychiatry were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, the Structured Clinical Interview for the Psychotic Spectrum (SCI-PSY, lifetime version) and the Mood Spectrum Self-Report (MOODS-SR, lifetime version).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with psychotic features did not differ from those without for MOODS-SR suicidality score. Controlling for age, gender and diagnosis (MDD/BD I), the SCI-PSY total score (p = .007) and Paranoid (p = .042), Schizoid (p = .007) and Interpersonal Sensitivity (p < .001) domain scores independently predicted lifetime MOODS-SR suicidality score in the overall sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychotic features, as evaluated upon the presence of delusions or hallucinations, are not associated with suicidality among subjects with BD I or MDD. However, more subtle dimensions of the psychotic spectrum, such as Interpersonal Sensitivity, Paranoid and Schizoid symptoms, show a significant relationship with lifetime suicidality. Our findings highlight the potential usefulness of a spectrum approach in the assessment of psychotic symptoms and suicide risk among subjects with BD I or MDD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carmassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miniati
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Massimetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
keywords: Bipolar I disorder; Major depressive disorder; Mood disorders; Psychotic spectrum; Suicidality