SYNOPSISA group of psychiatric in-patients significantly over-estimated the intensity of their depression when asked to recollect how depressed they had been one week earlier. The initial level of depression affected the accuracy of recall. Unexpectedly, patients who were more depressed initially had more accurate recall, particularly for biological and symptomatically negative items of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.

No abstract

The prediction of suicide remalns a major challenge for health professionals. Sociodemographic predictors of the risk of suicide lack specificity: factors such as living alone, being unemployed, or having a physical or mental iliness are common, separately or in combination, but suicide is rare. Psychiatric conditions, such as depression, alcohol dependence, schizophrenia and personality disorders, are strongly associated with sUicide, but most psychiatrically ill patients do not suicide. Most suicidal patients consult a helping agency within a month of their act and, in practice, successful assessment of the risk of suicide and intervention to prevent it depend on gaining an understanding of the individual patient and developing a therapeutic relationship. More research into the biological, psychological and social factors that distinguish suicidal from non-suicidal individuals Is needed. We review key studies that have addressed the issue of suicide prediction, outline the clinician's role in evaluating the risk of suicide In the individual, and suggest directions for future research. (Med J Aust 1990; 153: 552-554)

The course of depression over 1 week in patients admitted to hospital following an attempted suicide was examined utilizing a clinical interview, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Levine-Pilowsky Depression (LPD) Questionnaire and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. On all measures the group had depression of moderate to marked severity at the time of attempted suicide. In males there was a statistically and clinically significant reduction in severity of depression over 1 week. This trend was also observed in the younger patients. There was no significant change in the frequency of the LPD category endogenous depression, but examination of changes in DSM-III diagnostic frequencies revealed a significant reduction in major affective disorder over 1 week. Symptom changes were also examined. Factors that may have contributed to the observed changes in depression are discussed. Therapeutic implications and further research directions are outlined.