Leo Sher, M.D.

Our research work, “Association between familial suicidal behavior and frequency of attempts among depressed suicide attempters” was published 15 years ago in the May 2009 issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (1).

The goal of our study was to examine whether having a family history of suicidal behavior among first-degree relatives predicts severity of suicide attempts among adult probands with major depression. We hypothesized that suicide attempters with a family history of suicidal behavior will have a greater number of prior suicide attempts, an earlier age at first suicide attempt and greater lethality attempts.

190 individuals with a history of suicide attempt who met DSM criteria for major depression participated in this study. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 75 years. The average age of participants was 35.68 years (SD ±12.40). The majority was female (n = 125, 65.8%).

Individuals with a positive family history of suicidal behaviors had a greater number of suicide attempts than those without a family history of suicidal acts. Also, higher levels of aggression and fewer reasons for living were significant predictors of having made a greater number of suicide attempts. Family history of suicidal behavior was not found to significantly predict lethality of attempt. However, individuals with higher levels of aggression, fewer reasons for living and lower levels of impulsivity made significantly more lethal suicide attempts. Family history of suicidal behavior did not significantly predict age at first attempt of proband.

Reference

1. Lizardi D, Sher L, Sullivan GM, Stanley B, Burke A, Oquendo MA. Association between familial suicidal behavior and frequency of attempts among depressed suicide attempters. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2009 May;119(5):406-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01365.x.