Millions of people try to or succeed in taking their own life each year. As a doctor or psychiatrist, when determining if a person is likely to commit suicide, it is the professional's intuition that is being used. Alexander Niculescu, of Indiana University in Indianapolis, found that chemicals in the blood may provide a clue of suicide. Niculescu and collegues developed a blood test and a questionnaire that when used on 108 men receiving psychiatric treatment, it had a 92% accuracy as to whether they would develop suicide feelings over the next year. To develop the test, the team took blood samples from 217 men who were undergoing psychiatric treatment.
Gene expression was compared in 37 of the men who developed suicidal thoughts and in 26 deceased men who had committed suicide. In this study, 11 gene changes were identified that could be biological markers for people who consider suicide.
Of these 11 genes, it was found that one of the genes,
SKA2, indirectly affects the job of
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (which deals with impulsive and negative thoughts). When the gene becomes inactive, the HPA axis becomes heavily active which leads to negative thoughts. Hyperactivity for this part of the brain, has been repeatedly linked to suicidal thoughts. Another one of the genes linked to suicidal thoughts is
SLC4A4. This gene
is linked to anxiety and panic attacks. In some cases, suicidal thoughts can be similar to impulsive panic attacks.
This article circles around a very touchy, but
real subject. Suicide is real, as is depression, and many other diseases that affect brain chemical make-up. It is astonishing how a blood test can detect changes in genes that have been evident to link to depression. This blood test can be used during psychiatric treatments of people with depression and thoughts of suicide, by creating a treatment plan that fits to their diagnosis. This blood test is another great way for psychiatrists and doctors to minimize the amount of people who commit suicide each year, as long as those people seek doctor's help.
This article rocks, I am so glad I read it! Suicide is definitely a touchy but real subject like you said and it's finally getting the attention it deserves to prevent it. I think it's great that scientists are having such a breakthrough and are able to detect possible suicidal thoughts in a blood test. That is incredible. I really want to keep tabs on studies like this and hope to see the suicide rate really decrease in the future!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Taylor said above. I am incredibly interested to see if, with these new findings, the suicide rate decreases. I hope that researchers continue to study these genes and their affect on the human psyche. The results could prove beneficial to patients struggling with depression and or suicidal tendencies.
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