New onset and remission of suicidal ideation among a depressed adult sample

Previous research has demonstrated that suicidal ideation often predicts suicide completion.

The present study examined clinical and phenomenological variables associated with the presence, development and remission of suicidal ideation among depressed adults. The sample (n = 81) was derived from subjects enrolled in the Duke Clinical Research Center for the Study of Depression in Late Life.

Greater pessimistic thinking at baseline predicted the development of suicidal ideation one year later and the older a person was when he or she first experienced depression, the more likely he or she was to report remission from suicidal ideation one year following onset.

Longitudinal analyses were based on relatively small samples. Variables that were not significant in these analyses might be in a larger sample.

The longitudinal design of this study mitigates limitations associated with cross-sectional or retrospective designs and advances our understanding of a clinical profile associated with the development and remission of suicidal thoughts.