Neuropathological Changes in the Brains of Suicide Killers

Abstract

Background: Homicide combined with subsequent suicide of the perpetrator is a particular form of interpersonal violence and, at the same time, a manifestation of extreme aggression directed against oneself. Despite the relatively well-described individual acts of homicide and suicide, both in terms of psychopathology and law, acts of homicide and subsequent suicide committed by the same person are not well-studied phenomena. The importance of emotional factors, including the influence of mental state deviations (psychopathology), on this phenomenon, is discussed in the literature, but still there is relatively little data with which to attempt neuropathological assessments of the brains of suicide killers. This paper is dedicated to the issue based on the neuropathological studies performed. Methods: We analyzed a group of murder–suicides using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Results: The results of our research indicate the presence of neurodegenerative changes including multiple deposits of ß-amyloid in the form of senile/amyloid plaques and perivascular diffuse plaques. Conclusions: Neurodegenerative changes found in the analyzed brains of suicide killers may provide an interesting starting point for a number of analyses. The presence of neurodegenerative changes at such a young age in some murderers may suggest preclinical lesions that affect cognitive functions and are associated with depressed moods.

Suicide among doctors in Turkey: Differences across gender, medical specialty and the method of suicide

“…8,[26][27][28] A dysregulation of the immune system and inflammatory processes have also been linked to the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior. [29][30][31][32][33][34] Moreover, relationships between neurodegenerative processes and both mental disorders and suicide are well known. In addition, it has been shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases complaints of anxiety, depression and suicidality in almost all age groups, especially in young people.…”