Neurocognitive performance does not correlate with suicidality in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients at risk for suicide.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Almost 50% of schizophrenic persons attempt suicide at some time in their lives and 9-13% of patients ultimately commit suicide. While numerous studies have elucidated the relationship between psychiatric symptomatology and neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia, this is the first report, to our knowledge, to investigate the relationship between suicidal behavior and neurocognition in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

METHODS:
A subgroup of 188 patients participating in the InterSePT trial was assessed at baseline with an extensive neurocognitive battery and measures of suicidality and psychiatric symptomatology.

RESULTS:
Measures of suicidality did not significantly correlate with neurocognitive performance. Confirmatory analyses between patients currently judged to be at high and low risk for suicide also revealed no neurocognitive differences. Consistent with previous studies, poor neurocognitive performance tended to be modestly correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Rating Scale (PANSS) negative symptom scale. The relationship between suicidality and neurocognitive performance was similar for schizoaffective and schizophrenic patients.

CONCLUSIONS:
The findings suggest that suicidality in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder is not correlated with cognition and may, in fact, be a separate domain worthy of investigation and intervention.

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Author information

Author/s: Potkin, Steven G (SG); Anand, Ravi (R); Alphs, Larry (L); Fleming, Kirsten (K);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Room 166, Irvine Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-3960, USA. sgpotkin(-atsign-)uci.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Schizophrenia research (Schizophr Res), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jan; vol 59 (issue 1) : pp 59-66

Dates: Created 2002/11/04; Completed 2003/04/09; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12413643, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Canada
Cognition Disorders - etiology; psychology
Female
Great Britain
Humans
Male
Neuropsychological Tests

Neuropsychological Tests
Psychotic Disorders - complications; psychology
Schizophrenia - complications
Schizophrenic Psychology
Statistics, Nonparametric
Suicide - psychology
Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data
United States

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