Modai I, Valevski A, Dror S, Weizman A
Gehah Psychiatric Hospital, Petah-Tiqva, Israel.
J Clin Psychiatry. 1994 Jun;55(6):252-4.
Cholesterol has been generally associated with suicide and aggression. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum cholesterol levels and suicide in psychiatric inpatients.
Data on age, sex, serum cholesterol levels, absence or presence of suicidal ideations, absence or presence of past suicide attempts, ethnicity, weight, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores, and physical illnesses were collected from 584 inpatient medical records. The patients were diagnosed by the authors according to the DSM-III-R criteria. Serum cholesterol levels were evaluated 24 to 48 hours after admission. The entire group and each diagnostic group were divided as follows: patients who had attempted suicide at least once, patients who expressed a suicidal wish or plan during hospitalization or the month before hospitalization, and patients who had neither made suicidal gestures nor expressed suicidal thoughts. Statistical evaluation was done using analysis of variance and chi-square test.
Patients who had attempted suicide had significantly lower serum cholesterol than nonsuicidal patients (F = 4.68, df = 2, p < .01). Comparison on the basis of specific diagnoses revealed similar results in age- and sex-matched depressed patients (F = 4.02, df = 2, p < .01), but not in schizophrenic or bipolar patients. These results were not influenced by age, sex, ethnicity, weight, disease severity, or physical health.
Our findings may imply that an association exists between cholesterol, suicide, and depression.
胆固醇通常与自杀和攻击性有关。本研究的目的是调查精神科住院患者血清胆固醇水平与自杀之间的关系。
从584份住院病历中收集了年龄、性别、血清胆固醇水平、有无自杀意念、有无既往自杀未遂史、种族、体重、汉密尔顿抑郁量表评分和躯体疾病等数据。作者根据DSM-III-R标准对患者进行诊断。入院24至48小时后评估血清胆固醇水平。将整个组和每个诊断组分为以下几类：至少有一次自杀未遂的患者、在住院期间或住院前一个月表达过自杀愿望或计划的患者，以及既没有自杀行为也没有表达过自杀想法的患者。采用方差分析和卡方检验进行统计学评估。
自杀未遂患者的血清胆固醇水平显著低于非自杀患者（F = 4.68，自由度 = 2，p <.01）。基于特定诊断的比较显示，在年龄和性别匹配的抑郁症患者中结果相似（F = 4.02，自由度 = 2，p <.01），但在精神分裂症或双相情感障碍患者中并非如此。这些结果不受年龄、性别、种族、体重、疾病严重程度或身体健康状况的影响。
我们的研究结果可能意味着胆固醇、自杀和抑郁症之间存在关联。
