Suicide attempts in chronically depressed individuals: What are the risk factors?

Abstract Chronically depressed individuals have a high suicide risk. However, it is an open question whether previously observed risk factors for suicide attempts also apply to chronic depression or whether there are specific risk factors related to chronic-recurrent illness. We drew from a large group of chronically depressed individuals seeking psychotherapy to investigate demographic and psychological factors related to previous suicide attempts. Participants took part in the SCID and filled out established questionnaires. Among 368 chronically depressed individuals (68.7% women; Mage = 40.95 years), 75 participants (19.4%) reported previous suicide attempts. Men were more likely to have…