Psychiatry researchJul 31, 2007

Sleep problems linked to suicidal thoughts in people with depression

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

Depressed patients with insomnia had significantly higher suicidal ideation scores (7.39±2.84) compared to those with excessive sleepiness (3.68±1.73).

An intrinsic association between suicidal ideation and sleep disorders has been observed in patients with major depressive disorder.
The average score for suicidal ideation among the depressed patients was 6.12±2.67, with notable scores for active suicidal ideation (1.61±0.39) and specific plans for suicide (1.51±0.40).
Insomniac patients exhibited significantly higher scores on components related to suicidal ideation, including active thoughts of suicide and past attempts.
Multivariate analysis indicated that only insomnia had a significant association with suicidal ideation.
Sleep disturbances, especially insomnia, may be important factors to consider when assessing suicidal risk in these patients.

Simplified

An intrinsic association between suicidal ideation and sleep disorders in patients with depressive disorder has been observed in recent studies. This study was conducted in order to examine the relationship between suicidal ideation and sleep disorders, such as insomnia and excessive sleepiness, in outpatients with major depressive disorder. Seventy patients with diagnoses of major depressive disorder were interviewed and assessed with the Sleep Habits Questionnaire and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI). Data analyses were performed through descriptive analysis, Students t-test, Chi-square test and logistic regression model, with a statistical significance of 5%. In this study, depressed patients had high SSI scores (6.12+/-2.67), particularly for active suicidal ideation (1.61+/-0.39) and specific plans for suicide components (1.51+/-0.40). Depressed patients with insomnia had significantly higher SSI scores (7.39+/-2.84), in relation to patients with excessive sleepiness (3.68+/-1.73). Furthermore it was observed that insomniac patients had significantly higher scores on the following components: active suicide ideation, specific plans for suicide and previous suicide attempts. The results of multivariate analysis showed that only insomnia had a significant association with suicidal ideation. Thus, sleep disturbances, particularly insomnia, should be considered in the assessment of suicidal risk in outpatients with depressive disorder.

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Sleep problems linked to suicidal thoughts in people with depression

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