Suicide Risk Could Be Detected Through Blood Test

The help of a simple blood test may be able to predict whether an individual is at risk for committing suicide, according to a recent study from the Indian University School of Medicine.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, statistics via 2010 show that approximately 1 person kills themselves every 13.7 minutes. Every 1 hour and 28 minutes, 1 elderly person kills themselves and approximately every 1 hour and 54 person, one older person kills themselves.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that more than 1 million people die from suicide annually, and in the United States alone, there are more than 38,000 suicide deaths each year. That's about one death every 14 minutes.

A team of researchers looked at the activity of various genes by measuring how much RNA (Ribonucleic acid) they produced. Researchers found that high levels of six types of the RNA molecules, or biomarkers, in the bloodstreams of patients with bipolar disorder who reported having suicidal thoughts as well as those who had actually attempted suicide.  

These tests could help psychiatrics identify those who might be more of a danger to themselves and then determine a better treatment plan.

Over the course of a three year period, researchers followed a group of bipolar patients and conducted a serious of blood tests and interviews in order to determine whether there was a biological indicator that showed a suicide risk. Results showed that patients that reported higher suicide thoughts had higher levels of six biomarkers found in the gene SAT1. The same was true for those who actually committed suicide, according to data analyzed from blood samples from the nine deceased subjects.

Not only could a blood test provide an early warning side of suicide risk, but it could be useful for those with suicidal thoughts or those suffering from symptoms relating to chronic pain including severe headaches, chest pain, etc.

"There are people who will not reveal they are having suicidal thoughts when you ask them, who then commit it and there's nothing you can do about it," said lead researcher Alexander Niculescu, in a statement. "We need better ways to identify, intervene and prevent these tragic cases.".

Niculescu, an associate professor of psychiatry and medical neuroscience at the medical school, told U.S. News that although the test subjects were all male and that there could be gender differences, a blood test appears to be a good indicator of impulsive suicidal behavior.

Results show that some of the levels found in the blood could also show long-term risk of suicide.

More information regarding the study can be found in the journal of Molecular Psychiatry.