Is Chronic Emptiness a Transdiagnostic Suicide Risk Factor?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Previous studies link chronic emptiness and suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
• However, emptiness is also reported by a significant portion of non-BPD patients.
• The transdiagnostic nature of emptiness requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between chronic emptiness and suicidal behavior in a large psychiatric outpatient sample.
• To determine if this association extends beyond BPD to other psychiatric diagnoses.
• To explore the prevalence of chronic emptiness and its correlation with suicidal ideation and attempts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 3,284 psychiatric outpatients.
• Employed Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV), Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-IV), and Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) for evaluations.
• Assessed for chronic emptiness and suicidal behaviors, including ideation and attempts.

Main Results:

• Found significant associations between suicidal ideation and chronic emptiness across multiple diagnoses, including major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and alcohol use disorder.
• Identified that chronic emptiness was linked to a higher prevalence of suicide attempts in patients with major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder.
• Demonstrated a transdiagnostic relationship between chronic emptiness and suicidal ideation.

Conclusions:

• Chronic feelings of emptiness are transdiagnostically related to suicidality.
• Emptiness may be a significant factor contributing to suicidal ideation and attempts in diverse psychiatric populations.
• Findings enhance understanding of the complex relationship between emptiness and suicidal behaviors in clinical settings.