Project Summary

Shamsah B. Sonawalla, M.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of Massachusetts General Hospital, is interested in mood disorders and suicide in adolescents and young adults.  Suicide is the third leading cause of death in United States college-aged population after accidents and homicides.  Studies have suggested as association between poor subjective sleep quality and suicidal ideation.  Dr. Sonawalla's primary aims are to study the correlation between subjective sleep quality and suicidal ideation and to estimate the rates of major depressive disorder (MDD), dysthymia and bipolar depression, and their relationship with subjective sleep quality.  Eight hundred college students from the Boston area will be screened using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), followed by an administration of the mood module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I/P) to students who test positive for depression.  The data will be analyzed for statistical significance.  The study will help identify college students with poor subjective sleep quality and suicidal ideation with potential to predict suicidal ideation among college students, plan appropriate treatment strategies and potentially help prevent suicide.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)\Suicide

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