Recent life events, social adjustment, and suicide attempts in patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder

This study investigated the impact of recent life events and social adjustm ent on suicide attempter status in 34 patients with major depression, 24 pa tients with borderline personality disorder, and 22 patients with co-morbid major depression and borderline personality disorder. Suicide attempters r eported more recent life events and scored lower on a measure of social adj ustment in their families and overall social adjustment, compared with non- attempters. Borderline disordered and borderline or depressed patients were more likely to have attempted suicide than patients with major depression only. Recent life events did not predict attempter status. Lower social adj ustment in the immediate family and lower overall social adjustment were pr edictive of suicide attempter classification, regardless of diagnosis, Bord erline disordered patients low on overall social adjustment were over 16 ti mes more likely to have attempted suicide than patients diagnosed with majo r depression only. Recent life events may elevate suicide risk in groups al ready at high risk for suicide completion, whereas high levels of social ad justment may be protective against stress-related suicidal behavior.