A gene mutation has been identified by US scientists that appears to be common in people who attempt or commit suicide, a finding that could lead to a blood test to predict risk.
The discovery is based on a small study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and was published on Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Organophosphorus Poisoning
Organosphosphorus compounds are used as insecticides and chemical warfare. They are easily accessible, thus they are a commonly associated with suicides and accidental poisoning.
Advertisement
"We have no consistent way to predict those who are at increased risk of killing themselves," said lead author Zachary Kaminsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
"With a test like ours, we may be able to stem suicide rates by identifying those people and intervening early enough to head off a catastrophe."
![Depression Symptom Evaluation]( "Depression Symptom Evaluation")
Depression occurs due to alterations in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Such a test is years away from being widely available to the public.
For now, researchers say they have found a chemical change in a single gene, called SKA2, which is linked to how the brain responds to stress hormones.
This gene "plays a significant role in turning what might otherwise be an unremarkable reaction to the strain of everyday life into suicidal thoughts and behaviors," said the study.
Researchers found it by examining brain samples from people who had killed themselves, and found that levels of SKA2 were significantly reduced compared to healthy people.
They also tested blood samples from 325 people in a prevention study at JHU and found that changes in the gene could predict with 80 percent certainty those who were experiencing suicidal thoughts or who had attempted suicide.
Among certain groups, the accuracy of the test was even higher.
"Those with more severe risk of suicide were predicted with 90 percent accuracy," said the study.
"In the youngest data set, they were able to identify with 96 percent accuracy whether or not a participant had attempted suicide, based on blood test results."
The SKA2 gene works to inhibit negative thoughts and control impulsive actions. When there isn't enough of it, or it is altered, the brain releases abnormal levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
Previous studies have shown that people who try to kill themselves, or who commit suicide, have an abnormal cortisol release.
Kaminsky said more research is needed to determine if a blood test could predict suicide in a larger group of people.
Source: AFP
Depression Symptom Evaluation
Depression occurs due to alterations in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Advertisement
Such a test is years away from being widely available to the public.
For now, researchers say they have found a chemical change in a single gene, called SKA2, which is linked to how the brain responds to stress hormones.
This gene "plays a significant role in turning what might otherwise be an unremarkable reaction to the strain of everyday life into suicidal thoughts and behaviors," said the study.
Researchers found it by examining brain samples from people who had killed themselves, and found that levels of SKA2 were significantly reduced compared to healthy people.
They also tested blood samples from 325 people in a prevention study at JHU and found that changes in the gene could predict with 80 percent certainty those who were experiencing suicidal thoughts or who had attempted suicide.
Among certain groups, the accuracy of the test was even higher.
"Those with more severe risk of suicide were predicted with 90 percent accuracy," said the study.
"In the youngest data set, they were able to identify with 96 percent accuracy whether or not a participant had attempted suicide, based on blood test results."
The SKA2 gene works to inhibit negative thoughts and control impulsive actions. When there isn't enough of it, or it is altered, the brain releases abnormal levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
Previous studies have shown that people who try to kill themselves, or who commit suicide, have an abnormal cortisol release.
Kaminsky said more research is needed to determine if a blood test could predict suicide in a larger group of people.
Source: AFP
Parents' Suicide Attempt Might Prompt Teenagers
The risk of youngsters attempting suicide is higher if a parent has been treated for mental illness or if a parent has attempted suicide.
Advertisement
The Saga Of Suicide Among Mental Health PatientsAmong mental health patients treated at home by crisis resolution home treatment teams (CRHT)*, the number of deaths by suicide has more than doubled in England, rising from an average of 80 in 2003-2004 to 163 in 2010-2011. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News
Amid the challenges of caring for newborns and toddlers, a study notes a rising trend of new parents seeking social media's help for managing their children.
Lack of friends and family visits is tied to a 39% increased risk of mortality that can be used to develop effective therapies associated with social isolation.
Compared to wearing sun-protective clothes and avoiding the sun, using sunscreen is the least effective way to prevent sunburn on the skin.
Bacterial diversity in the human gut is benefited by eating fruit and vegetables with microorganisms of probiotic and health-promoting characteristics.
New research challenges the common notion that couples achieve better weight loss results.