Emotional and intellectual correlates of unsuccessful suicide attempts in people with epilepsy

Batzel, Lawrence W.; Dodrill, Carl B.

doi:10.1002/1097-4679(198609)42:5<699::aid-jclp2270420503>3.0.co;2-9

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Early onset of epilepsy also has been associated with depression, marital status, and perceived stigma (18). No association between duration of epilepsy and relative risk of suicide was found in the present study, in keeping with a study by Batzel and Dodrill (38). Mendez et al (16) compared 62 patients with epilepsy and psychosis with 62 mentally well patients with epilepsy and found the mean age at epilepsy onset among psychotic patients to be 13 years, compared with 9 years in the control group.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Risk Factors for Suicide in Epilepsy: A Case Control Study

Nilsson¹,

et al. 2002

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Summary:Purpose: Suicide is considered to be one of the most important causes of death contributing to the increased mortality of persons with epilepsy. We investigated the association between the risk of suicide in persons with epilepsy and clinical factors that might increase or have been suggested to increase the risk of suicide.Methods: A case-control study was nested within a cohort of 6,880 patients registered in the Stockholm County In-Patient Register with a diagnosis of epilepsy. The study population was followed up through the National Cause of Death Register. Twenty-six cases of suicide, 23 cases of suspected but not proven suicide, and 171 controls, living epilepsy patients, were selected from the cohort. Clinical data were collected through medical record review.Results: There was a ninefold increase in risk of suicide with mental illness and a 10-fold increase in relative risk (RR) with the use of antipsychotic drugs. The estimated RR of suicide was 16.0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.4-58.3] for onset of epilepsy at younger than 18 years, compared with onset after 29 years. The risk of suicide seemed to increase with high seizure frequency and antiepileptic drug (AED) polytherapy, although the estimates were imprecise and the associations not statistically significant. Insufficient data on seizure frequency and changes in AED dosage due to incomplete case records were associated with high RRs. We found no association between risk of suicide and any particular AED, with type of epilepsy, or localization or lateralization of epileptogenic focus on EEG [RR ‫ס‬ 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1-1.7)].Conclusions: The profile of the epilepsy patient who commits suicide that emerges from our study is a patient with early onset (particularly onset during adolescence) but not necessarily severe epilepsy, psychiatric illness, and perhaps inadequate neurologic follow-up. Previous reports of an association with temporal lobe epilepsy could not be confirmed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Risk Factors for Suicide in Epilepsy: A Case Control Study

Nilsson¹,

et al. 2002

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“…Furthermore, neuroticism at age 14, was shown to be a useful marker of the risk of attempts at age 21 (48). Related constructs, positive and negative emotionality (96, 162, 168), emotional instability (166), and anxiety measures (130, 173, 174) were also associated with the risk of attempts. Nevertheless, in a large‐community study ( N = 5877), encompassing diverse age groups and controlling for a number of psychiatric and sociodemographic factors, neuroticism was not related to attempts (152), nor was it related to future suicide risk in depressed patients in an 18‐year‐long prospective study (175).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality traits as correlates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide completions: a systematic review

Brezo

Paris

Turecki

2006

Acta Psychiatr Scand

495

357

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“…Batzel and Dodrill [37] observed increased rates of suicide attempts among patients with anxiety, other emotional problems, and lower intelligence. The authors of this study suggested that availability of substantial quantities of antiepileptic medications with which a suicide attempt may be undertaken increased risk for suicide among these patients.…”

Section: Multiple Sclerosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide in neurologic illness

Arciniegas

Anderson²

2002

Curr Treat Options Neurol

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The risk of attempted or completed suicide is increased in patients with migraine with aura, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and Huntington's disease. Contrary to the general perception that the risk of suicide among patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementing conditions is low, several reports suggest that the risk of suicide in these patients increases relative to the general population. Some patients at risk for neurologic disorders are also at increased risk for suicide; in particular, the risk of suicide is increased among persons at risk for Huntington's disease, independent of the presence or absence of the Huntington's gene mutation. The risk of attempted or completed suicide in neurologic illness is strongly associated with depression, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, and social isolation. Additional suicide risk factors in persons with neurologic illness include cognitive impairment, relatively younger age (under 60 years), moderate physical disability, recent onset or change in illness, a lack of future plans or perceived meaning in life, recent losses (personal, occupational, or financial), and prior history of psychiatric illness or suicidal behavior. Substance dependence, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, and some personality disorders (eg, borderline personality disorder) may also contribute to increased risk of suicide among persons with neurologic illnesses. Identification and aggressive treatment of psychiatric problems, especially depression, as well as reduction of modifiable suicide risk factors among patients with neurologic illness is needed to reduce the risk of attempted and completed suicide in this population.

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Emotional and intellectual correlates of unsuccessful suicide attempts in people with epilepsy

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Risk Factors for Suicide in Epilepsy: A Case Control Study

Risk Factors for Suicide in Epilepsy: A Case Control Study

Personality traits as correlates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide completions: a systematic review

Suicide in neurologic illness

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