Introduction Aggressive acts demonstrated by patients suffering from mood disorders can vary from irritability to homicidal or suicidal behavior. It has been reported that patients with affective disorder, specifically bipolar disorder, most recent episode mixed, have a higher odds of aggressive behavior compared to those with schizophrenia. The investigators were intrigued to explore how suicidality correlated with other factors and determinants of mood disorder by classifying it as an act of aggression toward oneself, giving credence to the psychopathological notion of suicidality. Methods The study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional analytic investigation that will utilize a database previously gathered. The existing database has 705 data sets and has already been processed to be non-identifiable data. Upon processing, there were 373 data sets gathered and organized through the use of a data collection tool. The data the investigators gathered were the demographics and clinical determinants, as they have been hypothesized to have a relationship. Statistical analysis was done using Student's t-test for continuous variables and chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Simple logistic regression was done to determine the variables that probably have significant association with aggression. Results The study showed a predominance of patients without aggression (266 from a total of 373). With the P-value noted to be significant if <0.20, only civil status was noted to be significant (p=0.004998) in the demographic variables. In the clinical determinants (p<0.20), the mood state during admission (p=2.798e-10), mood symptoms during admission (p=1.127e-12), the type of aggression (p=2.2e-16), and the total number of mood symptoms, depressed (p=3.462e-10) and manic (p=3.445e-11), were significant. Admitting diagnosis (p=0.004498), discharge diagnosis (p=0.001499), and comorbid psychiatric disorder (p=0.04998) were also noted to be significant in determining the presence or absence of aggression. Individuals in manic, mixed, or anxious states can expect their outcomes to be 5-6 times greater than those who are depressed. These values were also noted to be significant (p<0.20) with manic (p=1.59435e-09), mixed (p=2.60205e-04), and anxious (p=2.880880e-07). Conclusions It can be safely concluded that the factors with significant association to the absence and presence of aggression (civil status, mood state during admission, patients' mood symptoms at the time of admission, the type of aggression, the total number of symptoms for depression and mania, admitting diagnosis, discharge diagnosis, and comorbid psychiatric disorders) are also known considerations for assessing the probability of aggression, either toward others or of suicidal nature. The recent mood state was shown to have a positive association in terms of predicting the probability of aggression, especially manic, anxious, and mixed states. One of the primary purposes of this inquiry was to examine whether there is a change in terms of predictors of aggression if the concept of aggression includes any violence committed toward oneself.
Arboleda et al. (Mon,) studied this question.