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Is There a Biochemical Predictor of Suicide?
Author(s) -
Krieger George
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1975.tb00131.x
Subject(s) - commit , suicide prevention , medicine , suicide risk , psychology , clinical psychology , test (biology) , medical emergency , psychiatry , poison control , biology , computer science , ecology , database
There is a need for additional instruments to alert the clinician more effectively to the high self‐destructive potential of some of his suicide‐risk patients. In this study it was found that suicides‐to‐be tended to have higher plasma cortisols than suicidal patients who did not subsequently commit suicide within two years of the test. The article discusses the possible mechanisms involved and reviews some of the literature indicating that there may be a biochemical substratum that may play a significant role in some suicides.