Electroencephalographic abnormalities in suicidal patients.

Struve has suggested that paroxysmal EEG abnormality is considerably more frequent in suicidal psychiatric inpatients than in nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients. In order to see if these observations were confirmed in other populations, the Zung Index of Potential Suicide and scalp EEG were administered to 216 consecutively admitted VA psychiatric inpatients. The results indicated only slightly greater EEG abnormality in suicidal patients (14.9%), than in nonsuicidal patients (6.6%) statistical analysis failed to support either a general association between overall EEG abnormality and suicidal behavior, or the specific association between paroxysmal EEG abnormality and suicidal behavior, reported by Struve. Some of the data suggested that further EEG observations might be worthwhile on patients in the Threatener subcategory of suicidal behavior.