Brain Disorders & Therapy

Electro dermal hypo reactivity and suicidal propensity: Results from three studies of more than 2500 depressive patients in total

2^nd International Conference on Brain Disorders and Therapeutics

Chicago, USA October 26-28, 2016

Lars-Hakan Thorell

Linkoping University, Sweden

Keynote: Brain Disord Ther

Abstract:

Since 1987, several publications have revealed a strong relationship between electrodermal hyporeactivity and suicidal propensity in depression. A meta-analysis (Thorell, 2009) from ten smaller materials showed a very sensitivity (97 %) and very high negative predictive value (�??raw specificity�?�) (93 %) for suicide from tests of electrodermal hyporeactivity. In a study of 783 depressed patients in the Weissenau hospital in Ravensburg (Thorell et al., 2013) these terms were 83 % and 98 %, respectively. In this study the follow-up period was much longer, several years. The electrodermal hyporeactivity seems to be unrelated to the depth of depression, to genus and age between 18 �?? 65 years, to clinical results of antidepressive treatments and to levels of 5-HIAA in liquor. It seems also to remain in remission and be stable in later depressive episodes. The prevalence of hyporeactivity was particularly high in patients with bipolar disorders and the relationship was very high, especially in that group. A third naturalistic study EUDOR-A of about 1 500 depressed patients tested by the test of Electrodermal Orienting Reactivity (EDOR) is still going on in 10 European countries and 15 psychiatric centers involving more than 50 co-researchers.

Biography :

Lars-Hakan Thorell was born in 1943 in Sweden. His academic background is research in psychology, psychiatry, particularly psychophysiology and suicidology. He has also been involved in research in neuropsychology and neurophysiology and in creating an advanced psychophysiological laboratory. He has, since 1974, also developed computer programs for real-time experimental applications and for comprehensive statistical analyses. When he retired from his appointment since 1944, as Associate Professor in and Senior Lecturer in Experimental Psychiatry, particularly Psychophysiology he succeeded to continue his research in the field through support from the medical technological company Emotra AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, that he founded together with his wife. Today he is the Director of Research at that company. He has a increasing research collaboration with a growing number of psychiatric top clinics in Europe and in other countries. He was in 2014-2015 the president of the World Suicidology Net, founded by Professor Sergio Perez, and is a member of the Net of Suicide Prevention in the European College of Neuropsyho Pharmacology.

Email: lars@emotra.se