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Serotonin, impulsivity and suicide
Author(s) -
Bourgeois M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.470060507
Subject(s) - impulsivity , psychology , depression (economics) , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , personality , suicide risk , poison control , suicide prevention , medicine , medical emergency , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
This paper reviews the available data on the relationships between serotonin, impulsivity and suicide. It is concluded that low CSF‐5‐HIAA levels in psychiatric patients (depression, personality disorder, schizophrenia) and possibly also in supposedly healthy persons, increases the risk of suicide considerably. Other biological risk factors, e.g. activation of the hypothalamic—pituitary axis (positive dexamethasone‐suppression test) may also play a role. This trait marker is found in different kinds of impulsive behaviours: suicide, arson, murder, alcoholism, disinhibitory personality traits and others, indicating a marker of vulnerability, especially in crisis situations. Low output or low stability of the 5‐HT system in the CNS seems to increase impulsivity.