ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To identify emotion-associated risk factors for suicidality in patients with somatoform disorders. METHODS: A sample of 155 consecutive patients diagnosed with somatoform disorders at the Psychosomatic Ambulance of Bonn University Hospital filled in several questionnaires including the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised Version (SCL-90-R), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Our aim was to compare patients with suicide attempts to patients without suicide attempts via a MANCOVA (IV: Group; DV: SCL-90-R, TAS-20, STAXI; covariates: sex, age, depression, borderline personality disorder). RESULTS: Lifetime suicide attempts were documented in 20 patients (12.9%), current active suicidal ideation in 33.6%, and thoughts of death or dying in 55.9%. Patients with lifetime suicide attempts showed significantly more psychological distress, a significantly higher alexithymia sum score, a significantly higher score on trait anger, state anger, and a stronger tendency to express anger. CONCLUSION: Somatoform disorder patients with lifetime suicide attempts might have greater difficulties in identifying and describing emotions, and a tendency to intensely experience and express anger. Future longitudinal studies should further investigate possible links between difficulties in coping with anger and suicidality to improve prophylaxis and treatment of suicidal behaviour in somatoform disorder patients.
Subject(s)
Anger/physiology , Somatoform Disorders/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Suicide/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Affective Symptoms/complications , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Aged , Borderline Personality Disorder/complications , Borderline Personality Disorder/psychology , Depression/complications , Depression/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Personality Inventory , Risk Factors , Somatoform Disorders/complications , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
AIMS: The present study aimed to explore possible effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) on ß(2)-adrenoceptor gene transcription in human lung fibroblasts. MAIN METHODS: MRC-5 human lung fibroblasts were cultured in absence or presence of test substances, followed by ß(2)-adrenoceptor mRNA determination by quantitative real time PCR. KEY FINDINGS: ET-1 caused a marked and rapid in onset (1 hr) increase in ß(2)-adrenoceptor mRNA, an effect additive to that of short time (1 hr) exposure to the ß(2)-adrenoceptor agonist olodaterol. The stimulatory effect of ET-1 on ß(2)-adrenoceptor mRNA was prevented by the non-selective ET-A/ET-B receptor antagonist bosentan, indicating that it was mediated via specific ET receptors. In the presence of actinomycin D the effect of ET-1 was prevented indicating that ET-1 acts via increased transcription of the ß(2)-adrenoceptor gene. ET-1-induced up-regulation of ß(2)-adrenoceptor mRNA was also seen in the presence of cycloheximide excluding indirect effects via up-regulation of other regulatory proteins. CONCLUSIONS: ET-1 can up-regulate ß-adrenoceptor gene transcription in human lung fibroblasts.
