Domenico De Berardis1, Nicola Serroni1, Stefano Marini1, Gabriella Rapini1, Alessandro Carano2, Alessandro Valchera3, Felice Iasevoli4, Monica Mazza5, Maria Signorelli6, Eugenio Aguglia6, Giampaolo Perna7, Giovanni Martinotti3, Paola A Varasano8, Gabriella Lucidi Pressanti8, Massimo Di Giannantonio2. 1. Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Department of Mental Health, G. Mazzini Hospital, Teramo, Italy. 2. Department of Neurosciences and Imaging, Chair of Psychiatry, Universitè degli Studi G. d'Annunzio Chieti e Pescara, Chieti Scalo, Italy. 3. Casa di Cura Villa San Giuseppe, Ascoli Piceno, Italy. 4. Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Universitè degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy. 5. Department of Science of Health, Universitè degli Studi dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy. 6. Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Universitè degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy. 7. Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. 8. Department of Immunohematology and Transfusional Medicine, G. Mazzini Hospital, Teramo, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: As obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common psychiatric disorder with a significant suicide risk, the individuation of potential biomarkers of suicidality, such as cholesterol levels, may enable recognition of at-risk subjects. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: 1) evaluate potential differences in clinical and laboratory parameters between patients with and without alexithymia and compare them with healthy controls; and 2) investigate which clinical and laboratory variables were associated with suicidal ideation. METHODS: 79 drug-naïve adult outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD were recruited. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), suicidal ideation was assessed with the Scale for Suicide Ideation, and depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Serum lipid levels of 40 healthy controls were also evaluated. RESULTS: Alexithymic patients had altered serum lipid levels in comparison with non-alexithymics and healthy controls. Using a linear regression model, the presence of symmetry/ordering obsessions and compulsions, lower HDL-C levels, and difficulty in identifying feelings dimension of the TAS-20 were associated with higher suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymic individuals with OCD may exhibit dysregulation of the cholesterol balance, which in turn may be linked to suicidal ideation. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate this potential association.
OBJECTIVE: As obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common psychiatric disorder with a significant suicide risk, the individuation of potential biomarkers of suicidality, such as cholesterol levels, may enable recognition of at-risk subjects. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: 1) evaluate potential differences in clinical and laboratory parameters between patients with and without alexithymia and compare them with healthy controls; and 2) investigate which clinical and laboratory variables were associated with suicidal ideation. METHODS: 79 drug-naïve adult outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD were recruited. Alexithymia was measured with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), suicidal ideation was assessed with the Scale for Suicide Ideation, and depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Serum lipid levels of 40 healthy controls were also evaluated. RESULTS: Alexithymic patients had altered serum lipid levels in comparison with non-alexithymics and healthy controls. Using a linear regression model, the presence of symmetry/ordering obsessions and compulsions, lower HDL-C levels, and difficulty in identifying feelings dimension of the TAS-20 were associated with higher suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymic individuals with OCD may exhibit dysregulation of the cholesterol balance, which in turn may be linked to suicidal ideation. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate this potential association.
Authors: Vahid Khosravani; Seyed Mehdi Samimi Ardestani; Farangis Sharifi Bastan; Dean McKay; Gordon J G Asmundson Journal: Clin Psychol Psychother Date: 2021-05-05