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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Suicide is a global health crisis. However, no objective biomarkers of suicide risk currently exist, and self-report data can be unreliable, which limits prediction, diagnostic, and treatment efforts. Reliable biomarkers that can differentiate between diagnostic subgroups, predict worsening symptoms, or suggest novel therapeutic targets would be extremely valuable for patients, researchers, and clinicians.
METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for reports published between 2016 and 2021 using search terms (suicid*) AND (biomarker*) OR (indicat*). Reports that compared biomarkers between suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, death from suicide, or any suicide subgroup against other neuropsychiatric disorders were included. Studies exclusively comparing suicidal behavior or death from suicide to healthy controls were not included in order to ensure that biomarkers were specific to suicide and not other psychopathology.
RESULTS: This review summarizes the last five years of research into suicide-associated biomarkers and provides a comprehensive guide for promising and novel biomarkers that encompass varying presentations of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and death by suicide. The serotonergic system, inflammation, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, lipids, and endocannabinoids emerged as the most promising diagnostic, predictive, and therapeutic indicators.
CONCLUSIONS: The utility of diagnostic and predictive biomarkers is evident, particularly for suicide prevention. While larger-scale studies and further in-depth research are required, the last five years of research has uncovered essential biomarkers that could ultimately improve predictive strategies, aid diagnostics, and help develop future therapeutic targets.
Language: en |