RISK-FACTORS FOR SUICIDAL IDEATION IN PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS

Sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for suicidal ideation have been less studied than risk factors for parasuicide and suicide. No re ports on associations between therapy satisfaction and suicidal ideati on among psychiatric patients have been published. In this study we co mpared a group of patients with suicidal ideation (n = 84) with a rand omly selected group of nonsuicidal patients (n = 166) in community-bas ed psychiatric services. Patients with suicidal ideation felt a need f or psychiatric treatment more often than nonsuicidal patients. They we re also more likely to receive antidepressive medication, and weekly t herapy sessions were more common among them. A wish to change therapis t (OR 15.6, 95% CI 3.6-67.8), hopeless future orientation (OR 14.8, 95 % CI 4.5-48.9). severe depression as evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory (OR 14.0, 95% CI 4.3-45.2) and dysthymia (OR 12.8. 95% CI 1. 7-97.3) were the factors most strongly associated with suicidal ideati on in multivariate analysis. A wish to change therapist is an expressi on of therapy dissatisfaction, which may therefore be among the factor s most strongly associated with suicidal ideation ill psychiatric pati ents. To help prevent suicidality among psychiatric patients special a ttention to therapy factors is needed.