The importance of suicide risk assessment in patients affected by neurofibromatosis

Abstract

Objective

Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a chronic medical disease that often presents with psychiatric disorders. We investigated suicidal ideation in NF1 patients compared to healthy controls. We also evaluated whether hopelessness, depressive symptoms and perceived disability may mediate suicidal ideation in patients with NF1.

Methods

We enrolled 60 patients with NF1 and 50 healthy controls with no history of NF1. Patients underwent a full psychiatric evaluation. Psychiatric diagnosis was made according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria. Patients and controls underwent a series of psychometric measures, namely the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Italian Perceived Disability Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results

Suicidal ideation was significantly higher in patients with NF1 (45%) than in controls (10%). Patients also presented more severe perceived disability and hopelessness and more frequent psychiatric disorders than controls. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that perceived disability was independently associated with the presence of suicidal ideation in patients with NF1.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our results showed that suicidal ideation was present in almost half of patients with NF1, suggesting the importance of suicide assessment in these patients.

Key points

• Patients with NF1 have an increased suicide ideation when compared to healthy controls

• Increased suicidal ideation correlates with perceived disability, but not with the presence of psychiatric disorders

• Assessment of suicidal ideation should be performed in patients with NF1

Keywords:

• Neurofibromatosis
• suicidal ideation
• perceived disability
• hopelessness

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all patients who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).