Acute stress and substance use as predictors of suicidal behaviour in acute and transient psychotic disorders

Several authors have reported high rates of suicidal behaviour in acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD). However, the literature in this area remains scarce. We wanted to find out whether there are predictors of suicidal behaviour in ATPD. Of 1032 psychosis admissions examined over a five-year period, ATPD was confirmed in 39 patients according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) diagnostic criteria. These patients were classified as suicidal behaviour (20.5%) or non-risk (79.5%) using a structured interview to assess suicidal risk. The following variables were analysed: previous history of suicide attempt or deliberate self-harm, history of depressive episodes, previous substance use history, education, ATPD subtype (polymorphic vs. non-polymorphic), type of onset (abrupt vs. acute), and presence of associated acute stress. Multivariate analysis revealed that acute stress and substance use are significantly associated with suicidal behaviour in ATPDs. To our knowledge, this is the first study identifying independent risk factors that could predict suicidal behaviour in individuals with ATPD.