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Cynicism, hostility, and suicidal ideation in depressed outpatients
A A Nierenberg1, S N Ghaemi, K Clancy-Colecchi
1Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|October 1, 1996
Summary
Suicidal thoughts in depressed patients are linked to cynicism, not anger or aggression. This study found no significant differences in hostility or depression severity between groups.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Suicidal ideation is a critical concern in major depressive disorder.
- Understanding the psychological correlates of suicidal ideation is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between suicidal ideation and specific psychological traits, including anger, aggression, hostility, and cynicism, in outpatients with major depression.
Main Methods:
- The study compared 42 outpatients diagnosed with major depression using the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire.
- Participants were assessed on measures of anger, aggression, hostility, cynicism, life events, and depression severity.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in measures of anger, aggression, hostility, or depression severity between depressed patients with and without suicidal ideation.
- The group with suicidal ideation exhibited significantly higher levels of cynicism.
Conclusions:
- Suicidal ideation in major depression is associated with cynicism.
- Hostility, anger, aggression, and depression severity do not appear to be differentiating factors for suicidal ideation in this outpatient sample.