Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders

Felicitas Rombold; Eric Lauterbach; Werner Felber; Bruno Mueller-Oerlinghausen; Bernd Ahrens; Thomas Bronisch; Birgit Kilb; Ute Lewitzka; Kneginja Richter; Andreas Broocks; Isabella Heuser; Fritz Hohagen; Arnim Quante

doi:10.3109/13651501.2014.940052

Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders

Felicitas Rombold
, Eric Lauterbach
, Werner Felber
, Bruno Mueller-Oerlinghausen
, Bernd Ahrens
, Thomas Bronisch
, Birgit Kilb
, Ute Lewitzka
, Kneginja Richter
, Andreas Broocks
, Isabella Heuser
, Fritz Hohagen
, Arnim Quante^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapie

Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin
Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus
Max Planck Institute
Klinikum Nurnberg
Helios Kliniken Schwerin

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective. Patients with both major depression and personality disorders have a high risk of suicidal behavior. Lithium is meant to have anti-suicidal properties in patients with affective disorders. The anti-suicidal effect of lithium in patients with affective disorders and comorbid personality disorders has not been investigated yet.

Methods. A post-hoc analysis of a subsample of patients with depression and comorbid personality disorder (PD) and a recent suicide attempt (n = 19) from the prospective, placebo-controlled lithium intervention study (N = 167), was conducted.

Results. Three patients in the lithium group (n = 8) and two patients in the placebo group (n = 11) presented a suicide attempt throughout the course of the study. No differences related to suicidal behavior could be detected between the placebo group and the group with lithium intervention.

Conclusions. On the basis of the small sample size, among patients with comorbid PD, lithium does not seem to have an effect on suicidal behavior in contrast to patients with affective disorders without comorbid PD.

Original language	English
Journal	International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
Volume	18
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	300-303
Number of pages	4
ISSN	1365-1501
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2014.940052
Publication status	Published - 01.10.2014

Funding

Dr. Mueller-Oerlinghausen is a member of the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association. Dr. Lewit-zka received grants from the BMBF (Bundesministerium fü r Bildung und Forschung) and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and grants from Lundbeck and Astra Zeneca. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Research Areas and Centers

Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

Access to Document

10.3109/13651501.2014.940052

Cite this

Rombold, F., Lauterbach, E., Felber, W., Mueller-Oerlinghausen, B., Ahrens, B., Bronisch, T., Kilb, B., Lewitzka, U., Richter, K., Broocks, A., Heuser, I., Hohagen, F., & Quante, A. (2014). Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 18(4), 300-303. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2014.940052

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title = "Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders",

abstract = "Objective. Patients with both major depression and personality disorders have a high risk of suicidal behavior. Lithium is meant to have anti-suicidal properties in patients with affective disorders. The anti-suicidal effect of lithium in patients with affective disorders and comorbid personality disorders has not been investigated yet.Methods. A post-hoc analysis of a subsample of patients with depression and comorbid personality disorder (PD) and a recent suicide attempt (n = 19) from the prospective, placebo-controlled lithium intervention study (N = 167), was conducted.Results. Three patients in the lithium group (n = 8) and two patients in the placebo group (n = 11) presented a suicide attempt throughout the course of the study. No differences related to suicidal behavior could be detected between the placebo group and the group with lithium intervention.Conclusions. On the basis of the small sample size, among patients with comorbid PD, lithium does not seem to have an effect on suicidal behavior in contrast to patients with affective disorders without comorbid PD.",

author = "Felicitas Rombold and Eric Lauterbach and Werner Felber and Bruno Mueller-Oerlinghausen and Bernd Ahrens and Thomas Bronisch and Birgit Kilb and Ute Lewitzka and Kneginja Richter and Andreas Broocks and Isabella Heuser and Fritz Hohagen and Arnim Quante",

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Rombold, F, Lauterbach, E, Felber, W, Mueller-Oerlinghausen, B, Ahrens, B, Bronisch, T, Kilb, B, Lewitzka, U, Richter, K, Broocks, A, Heuser, I, Hohagen, F & Quante, A 2014, 'Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders', International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 300-303. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2014.940052

Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders. / Rombold, Felicitas; Lauterbach, Eric; Felber, Werner et al.
In: International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, Vol. 18, No. 4, 01.10.2014, p. 300-303.

Research output: Journal Articles › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders

AU - Rombold, Felicitas

AU - Lauterbach, Eric

AU - Felber, Werner

AU - Mueller-Oerlinghausen, Bruno

AU - Ahrens, Bernd

AU - Bronisch, Thomas

AU - Kilb, Birgit

AU - Lewitzka, Ute

AU - Richter, Kneginja

AU - Broocks, Andreas

AU - Heuser, Isabella

AU - Hohagen, Fritz

AU - Quante, Arnim

PY - 2014/10/1

Y1 - 2014/10/1

N2 - Objective. Patients with both major depression and personality disorders have a high risk of suicidal behavior. Lithium is meant to have anti-suicidal properties in patients with affective disorders. The anti-suicidal effect of lithium in patients with affective disorders and comorbid personality disorders has not been investigated yet.Methods. A post-hoc analysis of a subsample of patients with depression and comorbid personality disorder (PD) and a recent suicide attempt (n = 19) from the prospective, placebo-controlled lithium intervention study (N = 167), was conducted.Results. Three patients in the lithium group (n = 8) and two patients in the placebo group (n = 11) presented a suicide attempt throughout the course of the study. No differences related to suicidal behavior could be detected between the placebo group and the group with lithium intervention.Conclusions. On the basis of the small sample size, among patients with comorbid PD, lithium does not seem to have an effect on suicidal behavior in contrast to patients with affective disorders without comorbid PD.

AB - Objective. Patients with both major depression and personality disorders have a high risk of suicidal behavior. Lithium is meant to have anti-suicidal properties in patients with affective disorders. The anti-suicidal effect of lithium in patients with affective disorders and comorbid personality disorders has not been investigated yet.Methods. A post-hoc analysis of a subsample of patients with depression and comorbid personality disorder (PD) and a recent suicide attempt (n = 19) from the prospective, placebo-controlled lithium intervention study (N = 167), was conducted.Results. Three patients in the lithium group (n = 8) and two patients in the placebo group (n = 11) presented a suicide attempt throughout the course of the study. No differences related to suicidal behavior could be detected between the placebo group and the group with lithium intervention.Conclusions. On the basis of the small sample size, among patients with comorbid PD, lithium does not seem to have an effect on suicidal behavior in contrast to patients with affective disorders without comorbid PD.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84910055850

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DO - 10.3109/13651501.2014.940052

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 24994476

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SN - 1365-1501

VL - 18

SP - 300

EP - 303

JO - International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

JF - International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

IS - 4

ER -

Adjunctive lithium treatment in the prevention of suicidal behavior in patients with depression and comorbid personality disorders

Abstract

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