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Serum lipid levels and suicide attempts
Author(s) -
Lee HeonJeong,
Kim YongKu
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2003.00115.x
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , poison control , triglyceride , medicine , suicide prevention , population , injury prevention , suicide attempt , risk factor , cholesterol , psychiatry , endocrinology , medical emergency , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Objective: To determine whether a correlation exists between lower serum lipid concentrations and increased suicide risk. Method: Serum lipid profiles were pair‐matched for 60 patients who had recently experienced failed attempts at suicide and equal numbers of non‐suicidal psychiatric patients, and normal controls. Suicide attempt severity was scored using Weisman and Worden's risk‐rescue rating scale. Results: (a) Total serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein levels were found to be lower in the parasuicidal population at statistically significant levels ( P < 0.01 and <0.05, respectively); (b) triglyceride concentrations were lower in suicide attempters with major depression compared with non‐suicidal depressed patients; and (c) risk‐rescue rating scores were negatively correlated with total serum cholesterol levels ( r = −0.347, P = 0.007). Conclusion: Low lipid metabolism may be a potential biological marker in the assessment of suicide risk. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the biological mechanisms of these findings.