SUICIDE IN ELDERLY DEPRESSED-PATIENTS - IS ACTIVE VS PASSIVE SUICIDALIDEATION A CLINICALLY VALID DISTINCTION

The authors determined differential clinical correlates of active suic idal ideation vs. passive death wish in elderly patients with recurren t major depression. Measures of lifetime suicidal behavior and ratings of suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and depression determined ''ideat or'' status. Active and Passive Ideators as weld as Non-ldeators were then compared Sixty percent of Active Ideators endorsed disgust or sel f-hatred items on the Beck Depression Inventory, compared with only 25 % of Passive Ideators and 20% of Non-ldeators. However, these data cha llenge the clinical utility of distinguishing active and passive suici dal ideation among such patients because the two groups overall appear to be more alike than different, and ideator status (passive vs. acti ve) may change during an episode. Clinicians should therefore not be l ess clinically vigilant if such patients' suicidal ideation is ''only' ' passive.