Prevalence and risk factors for suicide attempts in first episode and drug naïve major depressive disorder patients with overweight and obesity

Depression and obesity are both risk factors for suicide attempts; however, the pattern of suicide attempts in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are overweight or obese remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk variables for suicide attempts in first-episode and drug-naïve (FEND) MDD patients with overweight and obesity. This study included a total of 1026 FEDN MDD individuals who were overweight or obese. Their demographic data and metabolic parameters were collected. To examine the patients' symptoms, researchers employed the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The prevalence of suicide attempts in MDD patients with overweight and obesity was 19.59%. Among overweight and obese MDD patients, those with suicide attempts had significantly higher HAMD, HAMA, and PANSS positive symptom scores, as well as blood total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than those without suicide attempts. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, BMI, HAMA, and TC were significantly associated with suicide attempts in MDD patients who were overweight or obese. Suicide attempters and non-suicide attempters could be distinguished by HAMA and TC by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The prevalence of suicide attempts is high in MDD patients with overweight and obesity. Some clinical parameters and metabolic parameters are correlates of suicide attempts in overweight and obese MDD patients.