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Suicide attempts and impulse control disorder are related to low cerebrospinalfluid 5‐HIAA in mentally disorderedviolent offenders
Author(s) -
Lidberg L.,
Belfrage H.,
Bertilsson L.,
Mattila Evenden M.,
Åsberg M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2000.101005395.x
Subject(s) - 5 hydroxyindoleacetic acid , homovanillic acid , psychology , anxiety , psychiatry , poison control , impulsivity , homicide , injury prevention , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , cerebrospinal fluid , depression (economics) , impulse control , medicine , serotonin , medical emergency , neuroscience , receptor , economics , macroeconomics
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between low cerebrospinal fluid 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (CSF 5‐HIAA) and aggressive acts in mentally disordered violent offenders. Method: CSF concentrations of 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA), homovanillic acid and 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl glycol weremeasured in 35 drug‐free men convicted of homicide and currently undergoing forensic psychiatric investigation in a high security hospital. Results: The mean metabolite concentrations in the homicide offenders did not differ from those of age‐ and body‐height matched malecontrol subjects. One‐third of the murderers had made oneor several suicide attempts, and their mean concentration ofspinal fluid 5‐HIAA was significantly lower than that ofthe remaining murderers. Subjects with impulse controldisorder also had lower mean CSF 5‐HIAA. A consistentpattern of higher CSF 5‐HIAA in subjects with moreself‐reported anxiety traits was observed. Conclusion: The association between serotonin and suicidal behaviour holds for yet another subject group. Determining CSF 5‐HIAA might be worth while in the routine assessment of psychiatrically ill homicide offenders.