Blood test could identify people more likely to commit suicide, says study

A simple blood test could determine a person’s risk of suicide and provide a future tool of prevention to lower suicide rates.

In a study published online Wednesday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers say they have discovered a genetic indicator of a person’s vulnerability to the effects of stress and anxiety and, therefore, the risk of suicidal thoughts or attempts.

The researchers, at Johns Hopkins University, looked at how a group of chemicals known as methyl affect the gene SKA2, which modifies how the brain reacts to stress hormones.

If the gene’s function is impaired by a chemical change, someone who is stressed won’t be able to shut down the effect of the stress hormone, which would be like having a faulty brake pad in a car for the fear centre of the brain, worsening the impact of even everyday stresses.

Researchers studied about 150 postmortem brain samples of healthy people and those with mental illness, including some who had committed suicide. They found that those who died by suicide had significantly higher levels of the chemical that altered the SKA2 gene.

As a result of the gene’s modification, it was not able to “switch off” the effect of the stress hormone.

The researchers then tested sets of blood samples from more than 325 participants to see whether they could determine those who were at greater risk of suicide by the same biomarker.