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The following is a summary of “Impact of moderate-to-high-suicide-intent in major depressive disorder: a retrospective cohort study on patient characteristics and healthcare resource utilisation in England,” published in the August 2024  issue of Psychiatry by Denee et al.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the major cause of healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), which disables mental illness and disrupts daily life aspects.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to characterize patients with MDD with moderate-to-high-suicide-intent and compare their HCRU to patients with MDD without moderate-to-high-suicide-intent and also to understand pathways. 

They collected data from electronic health records from Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), linked to Hospital Episode Statistics, Mental Health Services Data Set, and Office for National Statistics in England. Patients with ≥ 1 MDD diagnosis between 04/2007 and 11/2015 were categorized by suicide intent.

The results showed that of 3,07,476 patients with MDD, 2,94,259 did not have moderate-to-high suicide intent, while 13,217 had moderate-to-high suicide intent. Patients with moderate-to-high suicide intent were younger on average (39.0 vs. 44.8 years) and had a lower percentage of females (58% vs. 65%) as compared to those without moderate-to-high suicide intent. The HCRU was higher among patients with moderate-to-high suicide intent in the first follow-up year, including more consultations (38.5 vs. 29.4), psychiatric outpatient visits (1.5 vs. 0.1), psychiatrist visits (3.6 vs. 0.3), emergency visits (1.5 vs. 0.3), and hospitalizations (86% vs. 26%). Moreover, 56% of patients with moderate-to-high suicide intent to receive an antidepressant prescription within 30 days of the initial moderate-to-high suicide intent.

They concluded the patients with MDD and moderate-to-high-suicide-intent were younger, and included more males and incurred greater HCRU than those without moderate-to-high-suicide-intent.

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05961-3