WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, RAGESOSS
The fact that suicide can run in families, as well as more direct studies of heritability involving twins or adopted individuals, has suggested a genetic component to suicidal behavior, but what genes are involved has remained unclear. Now, researchers have identified a gene variant that is more common in those who have attempted suicide than in those who have not. The findings provide a potential DNA marker for suicide risk that could help doctors recognize which patients need supervision.
“If we knew who had an enhanced risk of suicide, we could change our approach to their care,” said John Mann, chief neuroscientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, told The Guardian. “We could warn the family and ask them to be extra vigilant, we ...
