Suicide attempts in Chinese Han patients with schizophrenia: cognitive, demographic, and clinical variables

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the lifetime suicide attempt rate, clinical characteristics and cognitive function of Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia who had attempted suicide. Methods: We collected data from 908 schizophrenia inpatients about suicide attempts through interviews with the patients and their families, as well as through medical records. All patients were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, and the Repeated Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Results: Of this sample, 97 (10.68%) had attempted suicide. Patients who had attempted suicide were younger, had longer illness duration, and more severe general psychopathology and depressive symptoms than those who had not. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that suicide attempts were correlated with age, smoking, and depression. No cognitive performance differences were observed between patients who had and had not attempted suicide. Conclusions: In China, patients with chronic schizophrenia may have a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts than the general population. Some demographic and clinical variables were related to suicide attempts in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Suicide attempts in Chinese Han patients with schizophrenia: cognitive, demographic, and clinical variables.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the lifetime suicide attempt rate, clinical characteristics and cognitive function of Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia who had attempted suicide. METHODS: We collected data from 908 schizophrenia inpatients about suicide attempts through interviews with the patients and their families, as well as through medical records. All patients were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, and the Repeated Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. RESULTS: Of this sample, 97 (10.68%) had attempted suicide. Patients who had attempted suicide were younger, had longer illness duration, and more severe general psychopathology and depressive symptoms than those who had not. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that suicide attempts were correlated with age, smoking, and depression. No cognitive performance differences were observed between patients who had and had not attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS: In China, patients with chronic schizophrenia may have a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts than the general population. Some demographic and clinical variables were related to suicide attempts in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Obesity in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia: Prevalence, clinical correlates and relationship with cognitive deficits.

The prevalence of obesity in schizophrenia patients is high, especially in chronic and medicated patients. Few studies have explored the relationships between obesity, cognition and clinical correlates in patients with schizophrenia. This study was designed to assess the prevalence and clinical correlates of obesity and its relationship to cognitive impairment in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. We recruited 633 inpatients and collected clinical, demographic data and lipid parameters. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and its five-factor model were adopted for psychopathological symptoms. The prevalence of comorbid obesity in schizophrenia patients was 16.4%. The plasma levels of glucose, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoprotein B, and cholesterol were higher, but high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were lower in obese patients than those in non-obese patients (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, obese patients had lower PANSS negative symptom, cognitive factor and total scores than non-obese patients (all p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between BMI and the following variables: age, marriage, gender, negative symptoms, general psychopathological symptoms, cognitive factor, PANSS total score, glucose, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (all p < 0.05). Further multiple regression showed that PANSS cognitive factor, PANSS total score, and triglyceride were important independent predictors of obesity. Our results indicate a high prevalence of obesity in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia. Multiple demographics, clinical variables, and lipid parameters are associated with obesity in schizophrenia. Moreover, obesity appears to be a protective factor for psychological symptoms. However, not having objective assessments for cognition in this study is a limitation.