Citation

Kim S, Lee KU. Asia Pac. Psychiatry 2017; 9(4): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Uijeongbu St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/appy.12291

PMID

28636217

Abstract

Suicide is a world health priority. Studies over the last few decades have revealed the complexity underlying the neurobiological mechanisms of suicide. Researchers have found dysregulations in the serotonergic system, the stress system, neural plasticity, lipid metabolism, and cell signaling pathways in relation to suicidal behaviors. These findings have provided more insight into the final path leading to suicide, at which medical intervention should be applied to prevent the action. However, because these molecular mechanisms have been implicated in both depression and suicide, the specificity of the mechanisms has been obscured. In this review, we summarize the main findings of studies on molecular mechanisms of suicidal behavior from the last 2 decades, with particular emphasis on the potential, independent role of each mechanism that is not contingent upon an underlying psychopathology, such as depression. The act of suicide is multifactorial; no single molecular mechanism is sufficient to fully account for the act. Knowledge of the reciprocal interactions among these molecular mechanisms and studying them in the context of brain circuitry by using neuroimaging techniques will provide a better understanding of the neurobiology of suicide.

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

biomarker; depression; suicidal attempt; suicidal behavior; suicide