Objective
Executive deficits may play an important role in late-life suicide. Yet, current evidence in this area is inconclusive and does not indicate whether these deficits are broadly associated with suicidal ideation or specific to suicidal behavior. This study examined global cognition and specifically executive function impairments as correlates of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior in depressed older adults, with the goal of extending an earlier preliminary study.
Design
Case-control study.
Setting
University-affiliated psychiatric hospital.
Participants
All were aged 60+: 83 depressed suicide attempters, 43 depressed individuals having suicidal ideation with a specific plan, 54 non-suicidal depressed participants, and 48 older adults with no history of psychiatric disorders.
Measurements
Global cognitive function - Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), Executive function - Executive Interview (EXIT).
Results
Both suicide attempters and suicide ideators performed worse than the two comparison groups on the EXIT, with no difference between suicide attempters and suicide ideators. On the DRS total score, as well as on Memory and Attention subscales, suicide attempters and ideators and non-suicidal depressed subjects performed similarly and were impaired relative to with non-psychiatric control subjects. Controlling for education, substance use disorders, and medication exposure did not affect group differences in performance on either the EXIT or DRS.
Conclusions
Executive deficits, captured with a brief instrument, are associated broadly with suicidal ideation in older depressed adults but do not appear to directly facilitate suicidal behavior. Our data are consistent with the idea that different vulnerabilities may operate at different stages in the suicidal process.