Depressive Symptoms, Hazardous Alcohol Use, and Suicidality in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is linked to elevated rates of suicidal thoughts, behavior, and death by suicide. The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of depressive symptoms and hazardous alcohol use to suicidality within a predominantly low-income African American sample of individuals with bipolar disorder.

We recruited 204 patients with bipolar disorder from an urban public hospital's outpatient clinic in the Southeastern U.S. Multiple regression examined associations between depressive symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, and suicidality among past-year drinkers, controlling for gender.

The regression model revealed that male gender, depressive symptoms, and hazardous alcohol use accounted for a significant amount of the variance in suicidality. Depressive symptoms exhibited the strongest association (β = 0.367, p < 0.001), followed by hazardous alcohol use (β = 0.171, p = 0.042) and male gender (β = 0.227, p = 0.012). Collectively, these factors accounted for 24.1% of the variance in suicidality (R² = 0.241), underscoring their role in suicide risk among individuals with bipolar disorder.

Findings highlight significant associations between depressive symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, and suicidality in low-income African American individuals with bipolar disorder. Clinical interventions should prioritize comprehensive screening and targeted approaches to address these interconnected risk factors.