Lipophilic statin use and suicidal ideation in a sample of adults with mood disorders

Mood disorders are associated with a high risk of suicide. Statin therapy has been implicated in this relationship.

To further clarify reported associations between suicide and cholesterol in mental health conditions, we conducted an analysis of dietary, clinical, and suicidal ideation measures in community-living adults with mood disorders.

Data were used from a cross-sectional study of a randomly selected community-based sample (> 18 years; n = 97) with verified mood disorders. Dietary (e.g., fat, iron, vitamin intakes), clinical (e.g., current depression and mania symptoms, medications), and sociodemographic (age, sex, and income) measures were analyzed using bivariate statistics and Poisson regression with robust variance.

Participants were predominantly female (71.1%) with bipolar disorder (59.8%); almost one-third (28.9%) were taking lipophilic statins. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was more than 2.5 times in those taking statins, PR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.27-5.31, p < .05. The prevalence ratio for suicidal ideation was 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.15, p < .001, for each unit increase in mania symptom scores. No associations between suicidal ideation and dietary intake measures were identified.

Individuals with mood disorders may be susceptible to neuropsychiatric effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs, which warrants further research.