Journal article
Is suicidality distinguishable from depression? Evidence from a community-based sample
AK Fairweather-Schmidt, KJ Anstey, AJ Mackinnon
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry | SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD | Published : 2009
Abstract
Objective: Suicidal behaviour is often considered in the context of depression. Taking an empirical, dimensional and population-based approach, this investigation examines two issues: first, whether it is justifiable to regard suicidality as a symptom of depression or an independent construct. Second, although suicidal behaviour has been shown to decline with increasing age and differ across gender, little is known about the stability of the underlying construct across the lifespan and between genders. Method: Data were derived from a community-based sample consisting of 7485 people aged 20-24, 40-44 or 60-64 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the adequacy of model fit an..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
We wish to thank Trish Jacomb, Karen Maxwell and the PATH interviewers for their assistance with the study. Fundingwas provided by National Health and Medical Research Council Grants 179805 and 79839, a grant from the Alcohol-Related Medical Research Grant Scheme of the Australian Brewers' Foundation and a grant from the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund. Associate Professor Kaarin Anstey was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Fellowship Grant ( 366756). Dr Kate Fairweather-Schmidt was partially supported by an AFFIRM scholarship. We would also like to acknowledge Professor Tony Jorm, Professor Helen Christensen and Professor Bryan Rodgers, who are also chief investigators of the PATH Through Life Project.