Citation

Almeida D, Turecki G. Am. J. Psychiatry 2022; 179(3): 180-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.22010026

PMID

35236115

Abstract

Since the pioneering work of Åsberg et al. (1), method of suicide attempt has been often used in suicide research to stratify individuals in two subgroups: those using nonviolent methods, which do not involve the infliction of bodily harm, such as drug overdose, and those using violent methods, which involve methods that cause bodily harm, such as hanging, immolation, and the use of a firearm. Studies investigating neurobiological processes associated with suicidal behavior have shown, for instance, that individuals who use violent methods have lower indices of serotonergic neurotransmission (1-4). However, differences associated with suicide method may, in part, be explained by other factors. For instance, sex, age, and personality traits, particularly impulsive-aggressive traits, are strongly associated with violent suicide methods (5-9). Importantly, most of the studies examining neurobiological correlates of suicide method have focused on individuals who attempted suicide but did not die by suicide (1, 4). Consequently, our understanding of the validity of this classification among individuals who died by suicide is limited, and whether or not individuals who died by suicide using violent methods present different neurobiological alterations remains a question of significant interest...

Language: en

Keywords

Genetics/Genomics; Suicide and Self-Harm