Suicide

OCD is ranked among the 10 most disabling medical conditions worldwide (Murray and Lopez, 1996).In spite of the increasing awareness of the level of suffering associated with the disorder, little attention has been paid to suicidal thoughts or behaviors in obsessive–compulsive patients. Patients with OCD have classically been considered at low risk for suicide, with reports of completed suicides in less than 1% (Goodwin et al., 1969) and history of suicide attempts in 3–4% of samples (Koran et al., 1996; Khan et al., 2002). Nevertheless, significantly higher rates of suicidal behavior have been reported in more recent studies, which have suggested that 10–27% of those suffering from an OCD may attempt suicide at least once in their life (Hollander et al., 1998; Torres et al., 2006; Kamath et al., 2007; Torres et al., 2007), a percentage similar to that reported for unipolar or bipolar disorders (Chen and Dilsaver, 1996).Aim of the workTo study the prevalence of suicidal ideations and attempts in OCD.Subjects and MethodsOne hundred outpatients with primary OCD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) recruited from Zagazig University Hospitals, psychiatric outpatient’s clinics.Detection of OCD by Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), depressive symptoms by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, anxiety symptoms by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, suicidal ideations by Beck Suicidal Ideation Scale and previous history of suicide attempts was assessed retrospectively by asking the patients directly “Have you ever attempted suicide?”ResultsThe results of current study were:• Only one patient had history of suicidal trials.• Prevalence of suicidal ideation in OCD was 21% Suicidal ideations were associated with high scores in (Y-BOCS) with highly significant difference.• Suicidal ideations were associated with high scores in (HDRS) with highly significant difference.• Suicidal ideations were associated with high scores in (HAM-A) with significant difference.• Suicidal ideations were more in patients without special habits than patients with special habits and the difference is statistically highly significance.• Suicidal ideation were more in non-employed than employed and the difference is statistically significance.• Suicidal ideations were more in rural areas than urban areas, but the difference is not statistically significance.• Suicidal ideations were more in educated patients than non-educated patients and the difference is not statistically significance.• Suicidal ideations were more in single patients than married patients and the difference is statistically significance.