Prevalence of suicide attempt and clinical characteristics of suicide attempters with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a report from the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS)

Objective: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is associated with a variable risk of suicide but its prevalence and risk factors have not been extensively investigated. The present study was aimed to assess prevalence of suicide attempt (SA) and associated socio-demographic and clinical features in a large international sample of OCD patients. Methods: 425 OCD outpatients, recruited by the “international college of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders” (ICOCS) network, were assessed and categorized in groups with or without lifetime SA and their sociodemographic and clinical variables compared through Pearson Chi-squared and t tests. Logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of collected data on the SA variable. Results: 14.6% of the sample reported at least one lifetime SA. Patients with SA had significantly higher rates of comorbid psychiatric (60%vs17%, p<.001) and medical disorders (51%vs15%, p<.001) as well as previous hospitalizations (62%vs11%, p<.001), compared with patients with no SA. With respect to geographical differences, European and South African patients showed significantly higher rates of SA (40% and 39%, respectively) compared to North American and Middle-Eastern individuals (13% and 8%, respectively) (χ2=11.4, p<.001). Logistic regression did not show any statistically significant predictor of SA among selected independent variables. Conclusions: The present international multicenter study found a lifetime SA prevalence of approximately 15% in OCD patients, with higher rates of psychiatric and medical comorbidities and previous hospitalizations in patients with previous SA. Along with potential geographical influences, the presence of the above-mentioned features should recommend additional caution in the assessment of suicide risk in OCD patients