Potential biomarkers of suicide risk

Suicide is a preventable public health problem. Yet, it represents 1.8% of the global burden of disease, and is expected to rise to 2.4% by the year 2020. In 2002, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the young age of the United States. Of those who die by suicide, as many as 90% have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. In fact, those diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder constitute most (47-74%) of the population at risk for suicide. More than half of all those who die by suicide meet established criteria for current depressive disorders. In addition, traumatic events generally increase an individual's suicide risk. There is a significant correlation between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide risk. The likelihood of suicide attempts among individuals with PTSD is approximately 15 times higher than among those without it. Sixty-two percent of individuals diagnosed PTSD have suicidal ideation.Suicide prevention requires not only clinical observation but also biomarkers for identification of suicide risk. In this chapter, we briefly introduce the concept of biomarkers for suicide risk. Preliminary results demonstrating the possibility of blood biomarkers for suicide risk encourage the effort to develop a biological tool for the diagnosis and treatment of suicide. We therefore focus on current transitional research regarding suicide risk biomarkers. Specifically, we discuss the results of studies from bench to bedside and from bedside to bench, two research approaches in the development and identification of suicide risk biomarkers, a novel tool for diagnosis and treatment.