Suicidality Connected with Mentalizing Anomalies in Schizophrenia

A Study with Stabilized Outpatients

  1. Rosó Duñó1,
  2. Esther Pousa1,
  3. Mónica Miguélez1,
  4. Itziar Montalvo1,
  5. David Suarez2,
  6. Adolf Tobeña3

Article first published online: 24 JUN 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04602.x

Issue

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Additional Information

How to Cite

Duñó, R., Pousa, E., Miguélez, M., Montalvo, I., Suarez, D. and Tobeña, A. (2009), Suicidality Connected with Mentalizing Anomalies in Schizophrenia. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1167: 207–211. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04602.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Psychiatry Department, Parc Tauli Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

  2. 2

    Epidemiology and Assessment Unit, Parc Taulí Foundation–Autonomous University of Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain

  3. 3

    Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

*Address for correspondence: Rosó Duñó, Psychiatry Department, Parc Taulí Hospital, Parc Taulí S/N, 08208 Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain. Voice: +003493 7231010 ext. 22018; fax +003493 7237181. rduno@tauli.cat

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 JUN 2009
  2. Article first published online: 24 JUN 2009

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Keywords:

  • schizophrenia;
  • theory of mind;
  • suicidality;
  • premorbid adjustment

Deficits in social cognition contribute to the severe difficulties in daily functioning of schizophrenic patients, although they have never been connected with suicidality. Theory of mind (ToM) tasks explore basic social abilities and have been found to be defective in schizophrenia. The relationship between ToM anomalies and suicidal history was studied in a sample of 57 stabilized outpatients. Logistic regression analysis showed an association between poor performance on second-order ToM tasks and a greater likelihood of suicidality in schizophrenic patients (OR = 4.02, 95% CI 1.18–13.62), which was independent of current clinical and neuropsychological status, with the exception of poor premorbid adjustment in infancy and adolescence. We caution against potential biases from mixing cross-sectional ToM scores with lifetime suicidal records and retrospective assessments of premorbid adjustment through repeated testing of patients and their relatives. Hence, the present findings suggest that ToM deficits may contribute to the high risk of suicide in schizophrenia.

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