Yanmei Shen1, Fengchun Wu2, Yongjie Zhou3, Yuejiao Ma1, Xingbing Huang2, Yuping Ning2, XiaoE Lang4, Xuerong Luo5, Xiangyang Zhang6. 1. Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China; Mental Health Institute of Central South University, China National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders (Xiangya), China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China. 2. The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China. 3. Research Center for Psychological and Health Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China; Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China. 4. Department of Psychiatry, The First Clinical Medical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. 5. Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China; Mental Health Institute of Central South University, China National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders (Xiangya), China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China. Electronic address: luoxuerong@csu.edu.cn. 6. The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. Electronic address: zhangxy@psych.ac.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS: Thyroid dysfunction was reported to be associated with depression; however, its role in suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare thyroid function between suicide attempters and non-suicide attempters in a large sample of first episode drug naïve (FEDN) MDD patients, which received little systemic investigation. METHODS: A total of 1718 outpatients with diagnosis of MDD at their first episode were recruited. Their socio-demographic, clinical data and thyroid function parameters were collected. The positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were measured for psychotic, anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed that compared with non-suicide attempters, suicide attempters had greater scores on HAMD, HAMA and PANSS psychotic symptoms and higher serum levels in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) (all p < 0.001). Further logistic regression analysis indicated that suicide attempts were associated with severe anxiety with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.704 and TPOAb with an adjusted OR of 2.188. LIMITATIONS: No causal relationship could be drawn due to the cross-sectional design. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate TSH, TgAb and TPOAb may be promising biomarkers of suicide risk in MDD, suggesting the importance of regular assessment of thyroid function parameters for suicide prevention, and possible treatment for impaired thyroid function for intervention of suicide in MDD patients.
BACKGROUNDS: Thyroid dysfunction was reported to be associated with depression; however, its role in suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare thyroid function between suicide attempters and non-suicide attempters in a large sample of first episode drug naïve (FEDN) MDDpatients, which received little systemic investigation. METHODS: A total of 1718 outpatients with diagnosis of MDD at their first episode were recruited. Their socio-demographic, clinical data and thyroid function parameters were collected. The positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were measured for psychotic, anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed that compared with non-suicide attempters, suicide attempters had greater scores on HAMD, HAMA and PANSS psychotic symptoms and higher serum levels in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidases antibody (TPOAb) (all p < 0.001). Further logistic regression analysis indicated that suicide attempts were associated with severe anxiety with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.704 and TPOAb with an adjusted OR of 2.188. LIMITATIONS: No causal relationship could be drawn due to the cross-sectional design. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate TSH, TgAb and TPOAb may be promising biomarkers of suicide risk in MDD, suggesting the importance of regular assessment of thyroid function parameters for suicide prevention, and possible treatment for impaired thyroid function for intervention of suicide in MDDpatients.