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Chelsea Pike
Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Job Title
Research Assistant
Academic Rank
Department
Psychiatry
Authors
Chelsea K. Pike, Caitlin Millett, Katherine E. Burdick, Jessica M. Lipschitz
Principal Investigator
Katherine E. Burdick
Research Category: Psychiatry/Mental Health
Tags
Background: Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), are risk factors for suicide. Identifying modifiable variables that relate to suicide in these populations may inform prevention strategies.
Methods: 130 adults with mood disorders (N=71 bipolar disorder and N=59 major depressive disorder) completed clinical interviews (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HAM-D; Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, SCID-5) and self-report measures of loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List). Analyses explored relationships between current suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts, loneliness, and social support.
Results: Those with current suicidal ideation (per the HAM-D) reported feeling significantly lonelier (F(1,127)=8.606, p=.004) and reported lower perceived social support (F(1,120)=5.997, p=.016) than those without current ideation. Controlling for depression severity (HAM-D), those with a lifetime suicide attempt (per SCID-5) were also significantly lonelier (F(1,124)=11.495, p<.001) and reported lower social support (F(1,117)=11.559, p<.001) than those without attempts.
Conclusions: These findings add to the literature supporting a meaningful clinical relationship between loneliness and indicators of suicidality. Interventions specifically focused on reducing loneliness and building social support may be important in this population. As this work was cross-sectional, future research should elucidate the direction of these relationships.
Background: Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), are risk factors for suicide. Identifying modifiable variables that relate to suicide in these populations may inform prevention strategies.
Methods: 130 adults with mood disorders (N=71 bipolar disorder and N=59 major depressive disorder) completed clinical interviews (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HAM-D; Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, SCID-5) and self-report measures of loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List). Analyses explored relationships between current suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts, loneliness, and social support.
Results: Those with current suicidal ideation (per the HAM-D) reported feeling significantly lonelier and reported lower perceived social support than those without current ideation. Controlling for depression severity (HAM-D), those with a lifetime suicide attempt (per SCID-5) were also significantly lonelier and reported lower social support than those without attempts.
Conclusions: These findings add to the literature supporting a meaningful clinical relationship between loneliness and indicators of suicidality. Interventions specifically focused on reducing loneliness and building social support may be important in this population. As this work was cross-sectional, future research should elucidate the direction of this relationship.
