Temperament, character and suicide attempts in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and major depression

Objective: We examined the relation between personality traits as measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and a reported history of suicide attempts in women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and major depression. Method: We compared the prevalence and severity of suicide attempts in wome n with anorexia nervosa (n = 68), bulimia nervosa (n = 152) and major depre ssion with no history of an eating disorder (n = 59), and we examined the r elation between the TCI scales and suicide attempts. Results: Comparable numbers of women across the three groups had attempted suicide. The temperament dimension of high persistence and the character di mensions of low self-directedness and high self-transcendence were associat ed with a reported history of suicide attempts. Conclusion: Suicide attempts are equally common in women with eating disord ers and women with depression. Whether the observed association between tem perament and suicide attempts reflects correlates, causal factors or sequel ae of suicide attempts is unknown.