Older depression patients with poorer ability to switch between inhibitory and noninhibitory responses are more likely to have higher levels of suicidal ideation, according to Dr. John Kasckow and his associates.
They analyzed data from 468 adults aged 60 or older with major depressive disorder who had undergone venlafaxine XR monotherapy for up to 16 weeks.
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Those who had “high and persistent” suicidal ideation scored significantly worse on the Color/Word “inhibition/switching” subtest of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function Scale, compared with patients with “rapidly decreasing” suicidal ideation, reported Dr. Kasckow of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
In addition, patients with “high and persistent” suicidal ideation performed worse on the attention index section of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, and worse on the RBANS overall than did other major depressive disorder patients.
“This is the first study that reports that worse executive dysfunction, attention, and global cognition are associated with high and persistent suicidal ideation in older depressed adults adequately treated with antidepressant medication. These findings need to be reproduced,” the investigators noted.
Find the study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research (doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.11.004).