Do bipolar disorder symptom profiles matter for suicide risk? A latent class approach to investigating differences in suicidal desire and acquired capability

Introduction Depressive and mixed symptoms in bipolar disorder (BD) have been linked to higher suicide risk. Based on Klonsky and May's three‐step theory and Joiner's Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide, we hypothesized that patients diagnosed with BD who reported severe levels of depressive symptoms and mixed depressive and manic symptoms would also report higher levels of suicidal desire and acquired capability of suicide, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Methods The sample included 177 outpatients diagnosed with BD. Latent class analysis was conducted to replicate the identified groups of a previously conducted study using a smaller but overlapping dataset. Between‐class and pairwise analyses with measures of suicidal desire and acquired capability were conducted. Results As expected, the classes characterized by severe depressive symptoms and mixed symptoms reported higher levels of suicidal desire. However, the results regarding acquired capability were less consistent. Conclusion Given the overall elevated suicide risk of BD and the consistent relationship between depressive symptoms and other strong correlates of suicide, clinicians who work with patients diagnosed with BD should closely monitor changes in their depressive symptoms.