Suicidal risk is very high among bipolar disorder (BPD) patients. Risks of suicide attempts are not as well quantified but remain the most important factor for predicting risk of completed suicide.

We retrospectively evaluated 88 patients diagnosed as bipolar I, II, or unipolar depression. Of these, 44 had made at least one suicide attempt, and were matched for age, sex and diagnosis with 44 patients who had never attempted suicide.

In the univariate contrasts, suicidal patients were more likely to be: men, single, younger currently but not at onset, bipolar, substance abusing, and being unemployed. In a logistic regression only older age in the control group and occupation held the significance.

Study findings may not generalize to other samples, settings, and treatments.

Our results support previous finding of literature but overall add a consistent emphasis on the role two variables involved in the precipitation of suicide attempts in bipolar and unipolar patients, that is the role of age and that of occupation. The former may be identified as Trait-dependent risk factors (unchangeable) the latter as State-dependent risk factors (which can potentially be modified).