Suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder.

Understanding the origins of suicide is the first step in preventing it. Review of the current literature has revealed only limited data from general practice and community samples; most research has been performed on inpatient psychiatric populations, and extended follow-ups are rare. Mood disorders were found to be highly associated with suicide, especially in patients with major depressive disorder. Depression is an important factor in suicides of adolescents and the elderly, but those with late-onset depression are at higher risk. Both comorbidity with other disorders, such as anxiety and agitation, and rapid changes in the depressive state, for instance after release from the hospital, increase the risk for suicide.