LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To identify the predictive ability of the three-dimensional psychological pain scale (TDPPS) on suicide risk among MDD patients as compared to impulsivity, depression, hopelessness, psychache and acquired capability for suicide, and to determine the cut-off point of TDPPS in the identification of those at risk for suicide. METHOD The sample comprised 137 depressed outpatients who were divided into subjects with a history of suicidal attempt (SA, N = 31) and those without such history (NSA, N = 106). All participants completed the questionnaires to evaluate interested variables. Broad sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed by using hierarchical and logistic regression analysis and Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS TDPPS, especially pain avoidance subscale displayed superior performance in accurately identifying suicide attempt compared with other measurements. The appropriate cut-off point was 58 for the TDPPS. CONCLUSIONS TDPPS may be an effective screening scale for detecting depressed patients at high suicidal risk.