Attempted and completed suicides after subthalamic nucleus stimulation for Parkinson’s disease
T Soulas 1, J-M Gurruchaga 1, S Palfi 1, P Cesaro 1, J-P Nguyen 1 and G Fénelon 1*
1 AP-HP, CHU Henri Mondor, France
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gilles.fenelon{at}hmn.aphp.fr.
Accepted 26 March 2008
 | Abstract |
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A higher-than-expected frequency of suicide has been reported among patients undergoing subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD).
We conducted a retrospective survey of 200 patients with PD who underwent STN DBS. Two patients (1%) committed suicide and four (2%) attempted suicide, despite clear motor improvements. Suicidal patients did not differ from non suicidal patients with respect to age, disease duration, or pre-operative depressive and cognitive status. Suicidal behavior was associated with post-operative depression and/or altered impulse regulation. Suicidal behavior is a potential hazard of STN DBS, calling for careful preoperative assessment and close post-operative psychiatric and behavioral follow-up.
