Short communicationAffective temperaments and suicidal ideation and behavior in mood and anxiety disorder patients

- In 2561 subjects with bipolar I, bipolar II, major depressive, or anxiety disorders, clinical temperament types and TEMPS-A self-ratings differed between suicidal and nonsuicidal subjects.
- Clinical cyclothymic and dysthymic temperaments and corresponding TEMPS-A scores were associated with suicidal behavior and ideation.
- Clinical hyperthymic temperament and its corresponding TEMPS-A score were associated with nonsuicidal status.

BackgroundClinical characteristics proposed to be associated with suicidal risk include affective temperament types. We tested this proposal with two methods in a large sample of subjects with mood and anxiety disorders.MethodsWe assessed consecutive, consenting subjects clinically for affective temperament types and by TEMPS-A self-ratings for associations of temperament with suicidal ideation and acts, using standard bivariate methods, and multivariate logistic regression models.ResultsAmong 2561 subjects (major depressive, 1171; bipolar, 919, anxiety disorders, 471), temperament-types and TEMPS-A (39-item Italian version) subscale scores differed by risk of suicidal acts or ideation. Suicidal acts and ideation were most associated with cyclothymic and dysthymic, and less with hyperthymic temperaments. These associations were sustained by multivariate modeling that included diagnosis, age, sex, and diagnosis.LimitationsNot all subjects completed TEMPS-A self-ratings; clinical assessments of temperaments were not standardized, and long-term stability of temperament assessments was not tested.ConclusionsThe findings support and extend associations of cyclothymic-dysthymic temperaments with suicidal acts and ideation, whereas hyperthymic temperament may be protective.