Suicide risk in suicidal versus nonsuicidal depressed inpatients.

Depressed patients seem to be the prototype of patients with a higher suicide risk. Therefore, it is important for clinicians in psychiatric hospitals dealing with depressed inpatients as well as with depressed schizophrenic or alcoholic patients, to get a clear idea of the nature of suicide proneness among these inpatients. Results from different studies done by the Weissenau Depression Treatment and Research Group concerning the special issue of suicide proneness in depressed patients show that a "suicidal depressive syndrome" can best be described on a cognitive level by feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, and depressive delusions, and also by more sleep disorders and more past suicidal behavior.