Clinical and Genetic Risk Factors for Suicide under the Influence of Alcohol in a Polish Sample
1 Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
3 Department of Veterans Affairs National Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC), Ann Arbor, MI, USA
4 Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
5 Department of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
* Corresponding author: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Tel: +1-734-232-0241; Fax: +1-734-998-7992; E-mail: sylwiaf{at}umich.edu
Received 19 March 2009; first review notified 3 July 2009; in revised form 31 July 2009; accepted 1 August 2009
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Abstract |
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Aims: Despite the large number of suicides that occur with intoxication, little is known about the unique predictors of suicide after alcohol consumption. The goal of this study was to examine clinical and genetic risk factors for alcohol-related suicide. Methods: Data on 162 suicide victims were obtained from post-mortem examinations, police and prosecution inquiries, autopsy protocols and available medical records. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms in the central serotonin system and the renin–angiotensin system related genes previously found to be associated with suicide, alcohol dependence or depression were genotyped. Results: The strongest predictor of suicide under the influence of alcohol was alcohol dependence (OR = 4.63). Those who did not drink alcohol before suicide were more likely to have a diagnosis of major depressive disorder in their medical record and more often had the TT genotype of the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene. Conclusions: Suicide under the influence of alcohol is strongly connected with alcohol dependence. The TPH2 gene may play an important role in suicide vulnerability especially in individuals who did not drink alcohol before suicide.