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A growing body of research indicates that sleep disturbances may be specifically linked to suicidal behaviors. It remains unclear, however, whether this link is largely explained by depressive symptoms. The present study investigated the relationship between suicidality, depression, and sleep complaints in a clinical outpatient setting.

Upon admission, 176 outpatients completed measures on sleep disturbances, suicidal symptoms, and depression. Several sleep disturbances were evaluated with regard to suicidal ideation, including insomnia, nightmares, and sleep-related breathing symptoms.

Regression analyses revealed that insomnia and nightmare symptoms were associated with both depressive symptoms and suicidality. Sleep-related breathing symptoms were associated with …