ABSTRACT. To assess relationships of total plasma cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) values to suicide, suicide ideation, and hospitalization for psychiatric disease, we studied 220 children, ages 5 to 18 y, hospitalized with affective, adjustment, disruptive, ansiety, schizophrenic, other, and organic psychiatric disorders. The 135 male and 8 5 female patients had higher T G values ( p = 0.0001 and 0.0003, respectively) and higher Quetelet Indices ( p = 0.0001 and 0.003, respectively) than the 732 male and 316 female schoolchild controls; male patients had higher T C values than male controls ( p = 0.014). Substance abuse in patients was an independent inverse determinant of 'l'C value ( p = 0.05); TG value correlated positively with alcohol use (p 5 0.1) and sustance abuse (p < 0.05). After covariance adjustment for age, race, sex, and Quetelet, children having adjustment disorders with depression had much lower covariance-adjusted T C value than control schoolchildren (3.91 versus 4.29 mmol/I,, p = 0.003), whereas those nith disruptive behavior with oppositional defiant disorder had much higher adjusted T C value (5.09 mmol/L, p = 0.0001). After covariance adjusting for age, race, sex, Quetclct, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and substance abuse, children having adjustment disorders with concomitant depression had the highest group suicide tcndencies (attempts and ideation) and the lowest covarianceadjusted T C value (4.03 mmol/L). Conversely, children having disruptive behavior nith attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or disruptive behavior with oppositional defiant disorder had 50% lower suicide indes than those with adjustment disorders with concomitant depression and higher adjusted 'TC levels (4.45 and 5.12 n~mol/I,, p = 0.0003). Children with psychiatric hospitalizations have high TG values, and those with adjustment disorders nith concomitant depression have low TC values, which is positively associated with suicide tendencies. \Ye speculate that the associations between low T C level, high TG level, suicide tendency, and hospitalization for psychiatric disease do not reflect cause and effect but may be epiphenomena. (Pediatr Res 35: 602-610, 1994)
