[Depression, suicidal ideation and schizophrenia]

The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, with a special emphasis on suicidal thoughts and behaviors. 183 schizophrenic patients, according to ICD-10 criteria, were included. The interview was done by a psychiatrist using a questionnaire (socio-demographic data, premorbid functioning, schizophrenic and depressive antecedents and current depressive and suicidal thoughts and behaviors). The mean age was 34.3 +/- 8 years; 90% of the sample were males; 12.6% were married and 17% had children.

The mean age at onset of the illness was 24 +/- 5.9 years and its mean duration was 4.8 +/- 1.3 years. The paranoid type was found in 78% of cases, and the schizo-affective one in 7.8%. During the assessment, 44.3% of the patients had depressive symptoms, 2.7% of them had suicidal ideas and 5% had a specific plan to implement them; 40% of the patients with suicidal ideas had a depression or had a painful consciousness of their illness. These results confirm the ones of other studies in the field: depression is frequent among patients with schizophrenia. An emphasis should be put on the necessity of treating both conditions when they co-exist in the same patient.