Differences in Whole Blood Serotonin Levels Based on a Typology of Parasuicide

Abstract

Suicidal behavior has to be considered as a multifactorial phenomenon, which can be analyzed in a classifying-phenomenological manner. We have examined the relation of parasuicide typology to whole blood concentrations of serotonin, HVA, and tryptophan in 58 patients classified into 4 groups of parasuicide typology compared to 22 nonsuicidal depressed patients and 20 healthy subjects. Suicidal patients classified as impetuous, desperate and ambivalent types had significantly reduced whole blood 5-HT levels in comparison with the appealing type as well as nonsuicidal subjects. No differences were detected in the HVA content, but whole blood tryptophan concentrations were significantly reduced in impetuous suicidal patients and depressed patients compared to healthy subjects. This study provides evidence for reduced whole blood serotonin content based on different types of parasuicide.

Surrogate Endpoints in Suicide Research

“…Significantly reduced CSF 5‐HIAA levels were observed in the suicide attempt group, but this difference was completely attributable to impulsive (based upon a score of 8 or higher on the Impulsivity Rating Scale; Lecrubier, Bracconier, Said, & Payan, 1995) suicide attempters. Rilke et al (1998) examined the concentration of serotonin in blood among patients admitted for suicide attempts compared to nonsuicidal depressed subjects and healthy controls. Suicidal subjects were classified by a suicide questionnaire according to typology of attempt as either impetuous, desperate, ambivalent, or appealing (definitions for these classifications are not offered).…”

Personality traits as intermediary phenotypes in suicidal behavior: Genetic issues

“…The low CSF 5-HIAA level found in suicide attempters was related to their impulsiveness, assessed by interview-based rating [Cremniter et al, 1999]; in homicide offenders, it was associated with impulse control disorder and suicide attempts [Lidberg et al, 2000]. Another study found that among suicide attempters, subjects described as ''impetuous, desperate, and ambivalent'' had lower whole blood 5-HT content than those described as ''appealing'' [Rilke et al, 1998]. In alcohol-dependent subjects, impulsive and aggressive traits might contribute significantly to the risk of suicide attempts [Koller et al, 2002].…”