Risk-sensitive decision-making deficit in adolescent suicide attempters

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Adolescent suicide is a critical public health issue.
• Decision-making deficits are linked to suicidal behavior vulnerability.
• Limited research exists on decision-making in at-risk adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in risk evaluation processing between adolescent suicide attempters and non-attempters.
• To extend previous findings on altered risk processing in youth with a history of suicide attempts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) to assess decision-making in 14 adolescent suicide attempters and 14 non-attempters (ages 15-19).
• Administered diagnostic interviews (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview [MINI]), suicide severity measures, and intelligence quotient (IQ) tests.

Main Results:

• Suicide attempters showed increased risk-taking propensity on the CGT compared to controls, even after controlling for gender and IQ.
• Attempters were more inclined to take significant risks, leading to disadvantageous outcomes over time.
• No significant differences were found in decision-making latency or accuracy between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with a history of suicide attempts demonstrate heightened risk-taking and difficulty predicting consequences.
• These decision-making deficits are associated with orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex dysfunction.
• Findings support the link between impaired decision-making and a history of suicide attempts in adolescents.