Objectives: This study investigated behavioral self-regulation problems using the Children’s Hostility Inventory (CHI) in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), healthy offspring of bipolar disorder patients (HOBD), and healthy controls (HC) without previous history of psychiatric disorders. Methods: The CHI was administered to 41 consecutive children and adolescents diagnosed with PBD, to 16 HOBD, and to 22 HC. The inventory assessed irritability, expression, hostility, and aggression and was completed by the children with the help of their mothers. Adolescents and their respective parents were interviewed separately using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Results: All subscales of the CHI presented statistically significant differences, except for the subscale assessing feelings of suspicion. Pairwise comparisons revealed consistently significant differences between the PBD group and controls, indicating more self-regulation difficulties in the PBD group, represented by high levels of hostility and aggressive behavior. There were no significant differences between the PBD and HOBD groups. Conclusions: Future studies should further investigate if such behavior is state-dependent or a trait of bipolar juvenile expression. Expression of hostility and irritability should be considered relevant targets in psychosocial approaches addressing this population.

OBJETIVO: O artigo revisa as evidências relacionadas aos principais fatores de risco associados ao comportamento suicida no transtorno bipolar. MÉTODO: Revisão de artigos da literatura em transtorno bipolar, tentativa de suicídio e ideação suicida. RESULTADOS: O transtorno bipolar está fortemente associado à presença de ideação suicida e a tentativas de suicídio. Em amostras clínicas, entre 14% e 59% dos pacientes apresentam ideação suicida e entre 25% e 56% têm pelo menos uma tentativa de suicídio ao longo da vida. Aproximadamente 15% a 19% dos pacientes com transtorno afetivo bipolar morrem por suicídio. As causas do comportamento suicida são múltiplas e complexas. Alguns preditores de comportamento suicida vêm sendo demonstrados consistentemente na literatura, tais como estado de humor atual, gravidade da depressão, ansiedade, agressividade, hostilidade, presença de comorbidades com outros transtornos do eixo I e eixo II, presença de estados mistos ao longo do curso da doença e história de abuso físico ou sexual. CONCLUSÃO: O transtorno bipolar é o transtorno psiquiátrico com maior risco ao longo da vida para tentativas de suicídio e suicídio completo. Sendo assim é importante para o clínico identificar os principais fatores de risco para comportamento suicida visando a escolha das melhores estratégias para lidar com esse comportamento complexo.

OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the evidence for the major risk factors associated with suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder. METHOD: Review of the literature studies on bipolar disorder, suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Bipolar disorder is strongly associated with suicide ideation and suicide attempts. In clinical samples between 14-59% of the patients have suicide ideation and 25-56% present at least one suicide attempt during lifetime. Approximately 15% to 19% of patients with bipolar disorder die from suicide. The causes of suicidal behavior are multiple and complex. Some strong predictors of suicidal behavior have emerged in the literature such as current mood state, severity of depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, hostility, hopelessness, comorbidity with others Axis I and Axis II disorders, lifetime history of mixed states, and history of physical or sexual abuse. CONCLUSION: Bipolar disorder is the psychiatric condition associated with highest lifetime risk for suicide attempts and suicide completion. Thus it is important to clinicians to understand the major risk factors for suicidal behavior in order to choose better strategies to deal with this complex behavior.