Brief report: depression and history of suicide attempts in adults with new-onset Type 2 Diabetes.

AIM

To assess past suicide attempts in a cohort of adults with Type 2 Diabetes diagnosed within the prior 24 months.

METHODS

Outpatients were recruited from diabetes education classes or diabetes shared medical appointment. Participants aged 18 or over with a self-reported diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) in the prior 24 months completed questionnaires about medical (including diabetes), psychiatric, and social history. Participants also completed two screening questionnaires for depression: Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and the Questionnaire Inventory for Depressive Symptoms-Self Report. Those who screened positive for depression had confirmatory testing with a clinician administered Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) checklist.

RESULTS

In this convenience sample of 145 patients with Type 2 Diabetes, 9.7% of patients had history of a suicide attempt and 38.2% met diagnosis for major depressive disorder (MDD). Patients with MDD were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts than those without MDD (p=0.0002). Of the patients with prior suicide attempts, 50% screened positive for MDD at the time of the survey.

CONCLUSION

In patients with newly-diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes the rate of past suicide attempts was nearly 10%, which is twice the rate seen in the general population. The rate of past suicide attempts in currently depressed patients with diabetes is 21.8%. These findings suggest the need for monitoring patients with diabetes and depression for future suicide risk.