Objective: In this study, we aimed to compare temperament-character features, impulsiveness and functionality levels of bipolar patients who attempted suicide and who did not.
Methods: One hundred one patients admitted to Erenköy Mental Health Training and Research Hospital who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder according to DSM-IV-TR and 50 healthy age and gender-matched controls are included in this study. We applied Sociodemographical and Clinical Data Form and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Axis-I Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) to both patient and control groups; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bipolar Disorder Functioning Questionnaire (BDFQ) to only patient group.
Results: There was not any statistically significant difference in sociodemographic features between the patient and control group (p>0.05). Mean age of the patient group was 35,69±12,10, mean age of the control group was 32,00±9,24. 38 individuals (%37,62) in the patient group were found to have one or more suicidal attempts. In the comparison between the patient group that attempted suicide and the patient group without suicidal attempt, statistically significant differences were found in cooperativeness (C), self-directedness (SD), self transcendence (ST), novelty seeking subgroup (NS2), harm avoidance subgroup (HA4), reward dependency subgroup (RD2) and total scores of BDFQ and BIS-11.
Discussion: In our study, the statistically significant lower C and SD scores found in suicide attempters, which points out tendency to personality disorders, suggests that personality disorders might be associated with suicide attempts in bipolar disorder patients. In addition to this, higher impulsiveness and lower bipolar functionality scores that found in suicide attempters suggests that these suicide attempts might be more impulsive attempts and impair patients functionality.
Key words: bipolar disorder, temperament and character, suicide, impulsiveness, functionality
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