An association exists between low cholesterol, suicide, and depression

This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 1994 Jun;55(6):252-4

 

Study title and authors:

Serum cholesterol levels and suicidal tendencies in psychiatric inpatients.

Modai I, Valevski A, Dror S, Weizman A.

Gehah Psychiatric Hospital, Petah-Tiqva, Israel.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8071280

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cholesterol levels and suicide in psychiatric inpatients. The study include 584 psychiatric inpatients who were divided into three groups:
(i) Patients who had attempted suicide at least once.
(ii) Patients who expressed a suicidal wish or plan during hospitalization or the month before hospitalization.
(iii) Patients who had neither made suicidal gestures nor expressed suicidal thoughts.

The study found:
(a) Patients who had attempted suicide had significantly lower cholesterol levels than nonsuicidal patients.
(b) Patients who were depressed had significantly lower cholesterol levels than patients who were not depressed.

The findings of the study may imply that an association exists between low cholesterol, suicide, and depression.