Depression carries symptoms of both cognitive impairment and executive dysfunction. This means that people who are depressed often have a hard time thinking clearly, making decisions, and even remembering things. Elevated dysfunction increases the risk of suicidal behavior. This has been known for a while, but it wasn’t until recently that studies began to compare the cognitive and psychological functioning of people who attempt suicide to those who don’t. John G. Keilp at the New York State Psychiatric Institute recently made this comparison in a study of 80 depressed people with no history of suicide attempts, 72 depressed people who had attempted previously, and 56 people with no suicidal history or depression.
Read the full article here: Motor and Cognitive Difficulties Found in Suicide Attempters