Psychiatry Investig.  2016 Nov;13(6):595-600. 10.4306/pi.2016.13.6.595.

Association between DSM-IV Anxiety Disorders and Suicidal Behaviors in a Community Sample of South Korean Adults

• Cho SJ
• Hong JP
• Lee JY
• Im JS
• Na KS
• Park JE
• Cho MJ

• KMID: 2360375
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2016.13.6.595

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
There are conflicting reports about whether individual anxiety disorders are independently associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. We examined whether anxiety disorders are related to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a community sample of South Korean adults.
METHODS
In-person interviews based on the South Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview were conducted to diagnose mental disorders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine whether anxiety disorders were associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Each regression model treated lifetime diagnosis of anxiety disorders as independent variables. Sociodemographic characteristics, cohabitation status, lifetime history of mood disorders, alcohol use disorders, and psychotic disorders were included as covariates.
RESULTS
Nationally representative sample of 6,510 South Korean adults aged 18-64 years was recruited. Multivariate analysis adjusted for psychiatric comorbidity and sociodemographic variables revealed that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) [2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.27, 4.33)], post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (3.50, 95% CI: 2.16, 5.68), specific phobia (1.55, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.11), social phobia (2.97, 95% CI: 1.27, 6.94), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (5.58, 95% CI: 2.70, 11.6) were associated with suicidal ideation, whereas only social phobia (3.78, 95% CI: 1.41, 10.1) and PTSD (5.13, 95% CI: 2.81, 9.37) were associated with suicide attempts.
CONCLUSION
Individual anxiety disorders are independently associated with suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempts. The importance of the early detection of anxiety disorders and of assessing the suicide risk in individuals with anxiety disorders is emphasized.

Keyword

Panic disorder; Generalized anxiety disorder; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Suicide

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Anxiety Disorders*
Anxiety*
Comorbidity
Diagnosis
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*
Humans
Logistic Models
Mental Disorders
Mood Disorders
Multivariate Analysis
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Phobic Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide