Clinical and
neuropsychological characteristics of euthymic bipolar patients having a history
of severe suicide attempt
E. Olié1,2,3, M. Seyller1,3, S. Beziat2, J. Loftus3,4, F. Bellivier3,5, T. Bougerol3,6, R. Belzeaux3,7, J. M. Azorin3,7, S. Gard3,8, J. P. Kahn3,9, C. Passerieux3,10, M. Leboyer3,11, B. Etain3,11, C. Henry3,11 and P. Courtet1,2,3
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
Volume 131, Issue 2, pages 129–138, February 2015
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acps.12326/abstract
Author Information
1 Department of Emergency Psychiatry, CHRU, Montpellier,
France
2 INSERM U1061, Montpellier, France
3 Fondamental Foundation, Foundation of Scientific
Cooperation, France
4 Department of Psychiatry, Princesse-Grace Hospital,
Monaco, France
5 Hospital Saint-Louis - Lariboisière - Fernand Widal,
AP-HP, Paris, France
6 Academic Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France
7 AP HM, Psychiatric Pole, Sainte Marguerite Marseille,
France
8 Charles Perrens Hospital, Bordeaux, France
9 Brabois Hospital, Academic Hospital of Nancy,
Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France
10 Academic Hospital of Versailles, Le Chesnay, France
11 Université Paris-Est, Hopital Chenevier and AP-HP,
Créteil, France
* Emilie Olié, Département Urgences
et Post Urgences Psychiatriques, Hôpital Lapeyronie, 371 avenue du Doyen G.
Giraud, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
E-mail: e-olie@chu-montpellier.fr
Objective
Identifying
bipolar patients at high-suicide risk is a major health issue. To improve their
identification, we compared dimensional and neuropsychological profile of
bipolar patients with or without history of suicide attempt, taking into
account suicidal severity (i.e. admission to intensive ward).
Method
A total of
343 adult euthymic bipolar out-patients recruited in the French FondaMental
Advanced Centres of Expertise for Bipolar Disorder were divided into three
subgroups: 214 patients without history of suicide attempt, 88 patients with
past history of non-severe suicide attempt and 41 patients with past history of
severe suicide attempt. General intellectual functioning, speed of information
processing, verbal learning and memory, verbal fluency and executive
functioning were assessed.
Results
Severe
suicide attempters had lower affective intensity and lability than non-severe
attempters. Severe suicide attempters outperformed non-severe attempters for
verbal learning and non-attempters for Stroop word reading part after
adjustment for study centre, age, gender, educational level, antipsychotics
use, depression score, anxious and addictive comorbidities.
Conclusion
Neuropsychological
tasks commonly used to assess bipolar patients do not seem accurate to identify
suicide attempters in euthymic patients. In the future, decision-making and
emotional recognition tasks should be assessed. Moreover, clinical and
neuropsychological profiles should be considered together to better define
suicidal risk.