Prevalence and correlates of suicide attempts in working-age, first-episode, drug-naïve major depressive disorder patients

Suicide attempts are a critical concern among first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and predictors of suicide attempts in 1701 working-age Chinese adults (18–59 years) with FEDN MDD. Sociodemographic data, clinical assessments, and biochemical data were obtained. Overall, 20.2% of participants reported a lifetime history of suicide attempts. Multiple logistic regression identified four independent predictors of suicide attempts: Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), clinical global impression of severity scale (CGI-s), systolic blood pressure, and thyroid peroxidase antibody levels. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis further highlighted the high discriminative ability of HAMA and CGI-s for predicting suicide attempts. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological and biological markers in routine suicide risk evaluation for working-age FEDN MDD patients. Incorporating assessment of anxiety, blood pressure, and thyroid autoantibody may enhance early detection of high-risk individuals and inform targeted intervention strategies.