The relationship between cholesterol and suicide attempts in patients with either panic or major depressive disorders

This study reexamined the often cited inverse relationship between cholesterol levels and suicidality in major depressive and panic disorder outpatients. The cholesterol levels of 50 depressed and 53 panic disorder psychiatric outpatients with or without agoraphobia were compared. Patients were matched for their suicide history and demographic background. Overall, panic disorder patients without agoraphobia (n = 27) had significantly lower cholesterol levels than the depressed sample (n = 50). No significant differences regarding cholesterol level was noted in patients with or without previous suicide attempts. The results of the present study are discussed in the context of the role of cholesterol as an intervening variable in suicide risk and future directions for research are suggested.