Neuropsychological Factors Associated With Vulnerability to Suicidal Behavior in Depressed Elderly Patients

Inclusion criteria for patients: * The patient or his/her representative must have given his/her informed and signed consent * The patient must be insured or beneficiary of a health insurance plan * Patients with a diagnosis of current, moderate to severe, major depressive episode according to the DSM diagnostic criteria 5. This episode can be considered as part of a major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. * Patients with or without a personal history of suicide attempts. A suicide attempt is defined as any act performed with some intent to die (Mann 1998). Suicidal threats, aborted or interrupted gestures as well as self-mutilating acts without suicidal intent will not be considered as suicidal acts. * Patients hospitalized (or followed as outpatients) in the Nîmes University Hospital psychiatry department or the Sophoras clinic in Nimes Inclusion criteria for healthy subjects: * The subject or his/her representative must have given his/her informed and signed consent * The subject must be insured or beneficiary of a health insurance plan * Non-depressed subject without personal history of lifetime mood disorder or severe mental illness, or substance or alcohol abuse during the past 12 months Exclusion criteria for patients: * The patient is participating in another study * The patient is in an exclusion period determined by a previous study * The patient is under judicial protection * The patient (or his/her legal representative) refuses to sign the consent * It is impossible to correctly inform the patient or his/her legal representative * The patient has a known MMSE score \<24 (elimination of probable dementia pathology) * Known central neurological disease including degenerative disease, severe head trauma and severe cerebral vascular disease * Known schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders * Alcohol or substance abuse in the last 12 months * Electroconvulsive therapy in the 12 months preceding the study because of the risk of mnesic side effects * Inability to perform neuropsychological tests because of a language problem, poor understanding, a major tremor, inability to sit still, a major sight problem that can not be corrected, or other severe cognitive impairment * The subject presents an acute somatic decompensation incompatible with the completion of this study * The patient has current confusion Exclusion criteria for healthy subjects: * The subject is participating in another study * The subject is in an exclusion period determined by a previous study * The subject is under judicial protection * The subject (or his/her legal representative) refuses to sign the consent * It is impossible to correctly inform the subject or his/her legal representative * The subject has a known MMSE score \<24 (elimination of probable dementia pathology) * Known central neurological disease including degenerative disease, severe head trauma and severe cerebral vascular disease * Known schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders * Alcohol or substance abuse in the last 12 months * Electroconvulsive therapy in the 12 months preceding the study because of the risk of mnesic side effects * Inability to perform neuropsychological tests because of a language problem, poor understanding, a major tremor, inability to sit still, a major sight problem that can not be corrected, or other severe cognitive impairment * The subject has a mood disorder * The subject presents an acute somatic decompensation incompatible with the completion of this study * Thesubject has current confusion Pharmacological treatment is not a criterion for exclusion in itself but it will be left to the judgment of the evaluator to choose to include a subject or not (or to postpone inclusion) depending on the drug (eg. after weaning daytime sedative treatment and benzodiazepines).