The role of depressive disorder in the suicidal behavior of alcoholics

Abstract

In order to examine the role depressive disorders play in the genesis of suicidal behavior of alcoholics, 330 alcoholic inpatients were examined. Within the total sample, 41% had distinct suicidal tendencies, and of those, 15% had made at least one serious suicide attempt. The MADRS and MMPI scales were used to obtain objective evaluation of the depressive disorders. The subjects were classified according to DSM-R criteria. The results show that suicidal alcoholics have statistically significantly more depressive characteristics.