Suicidality in bipolar I disorder

People with bipolar disorder are at high suicide risk. The literature suggests that suicidality is predicted by higher symptom severity and less use of pharmacological agents, but few studies have examined the joint contributions of these variables. The present study examines the conjoint contribution of symptom severity and pharmacological treatment to suicidal ideation and behavior among participants with bipolar disorder. The model was able to account for 53% of the variance in suicidality scores. Depression, mixed state, and hopelessness were significantly associated with suicidality. All other variables were nonsignificant once symptom severity had been controlled. Implications for future research are described.