The role of serotonin in adolescent suicide: theoretical, methodological, and clinical concerns
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María Dolores Picouto
,
Francisco Villar
Abstract
Introduction: Adolescent suicide is a complex phenomenon that has similarities and differences with adult suicidal behavior. Serotonergic (5-HT) dysfunction has extensively been studied in adults and has been postulated as a biological marker for suicide.
Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the studies available in MEDLINE from January 1998 until January 2014 on the role of “serotonin” both in adults’ and adolescents’ “completed suicide”, “suicide attempts”, and “suicidal ideation”.
Results: Studies on 5-HT conducted in adults and replicated in adolescents have yielded inconsistent results. Although some genes related to the serotonergic system have been associated with an increased risk of suicide, attempts to reproduce those findings have been unsuccessful and a common genetic variant associated to suicidal behavior has yet to be identified.
Discussion: Studies on the neurobiology of adolescent suicide should consider the biological specificities of this life stage and of gender differences during this period. Future research designs should also try to integrate findings in the psychological and biological domains. Prospective studies may help understand the process that leads from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts or completed suicides in this population.
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©2015 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- A role for psychiatry in parental override cases
- Reviews
- Forensic psychiatric evaluations: an overview of methods, ethical issues, and criminal and civil assessments
- Underage drinking: does the minimum age drinking law offer enough protection?
- The role of serotonin in adolescent suicide: theoretical, methodological, and clinical concerns
- Biological and environmental predictors of the dysregulation profile in children and adolescents: the story so far
- The role of serotonin in impulsive aggression, suicide, and homicide in adolescents and adults: a literature review
- Outliers in American juvenile justice: the need for statutory reform in North Carolina and New York
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance use disorders, and criminality: a difficult problem with complex solutions
- Violence among young men: the importance of a gender-specific developmental approach to adolescent male suicide and homicide
- Adolescent mass shootings: developmental considerations in light of the Sandy Hook shooting
- Emotion regulation and adolescent suicide: a proposal for physician education
- Oxytocin and callous-unemotional traits: towards a social-cognitive approach to forensic analysis
- Suicide medical malpractice: an educational overview
- Alcohol and drug use among adolescents: an educational overview
- Original Article
- Victimization exposure and suicidal ideation among Spaniard adolescents evaluated at outpatient mental health services
- Short Communication
- Suicide risk assessment: searching for true positive
- Case Reports
- Taking a toy gun to school: a consideration of the determinants of adolescent forensic behavior in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting
- Suicidal behavior in a medical professional with comorbid depression and substance use disorder: an educational case report
- Low testosterone in a young combat veteran with dual diagnosis and suicidal behavior: a case study
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- A role for psychiatry in parental override cases
- Reviews
- Forensic psychiatric evaluations: an overview of methods, ethical issues, and criminal and civil assessments
- Underage drinking: does the minimum age drinking law offer enough protection?
- The role of serotonin in adolescent suicide: theoretical, methodological, and clinical concerns
- Biological and environmental predictors of the dysregulation profile in children and adolescents: the story so far
- The role of serotonin in impulsive aggression, suicide, and homicide in adolescents and adults: a literature review
- Outliers in American juvenile justice: the need for statutory reform in North Carolina and New York
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance use disorders, and criminality: a difficult problem with complex solutions
- Violence among young men: the importance of a gender-specific developmental approach to adolescent male suicide and homicide
- Adolescent mass shootings: developmental considerations in light of the Sandy Hook shooting
- Emotion regulation and adolescent suicide: a proposal for physician education
- Oxytocin and callous-unemotional traits: towards a social-cognitive approach to forensic analysis
- Suicide medical malpractice: an educational overview
- Alcohol and drug use among adolescents: an educational overview
- Original Article
- Victimization exposure and suicidal ideation among Spaniard adolescents evaluated at outpatient mental health services
- Short Communication
- Suicide risk assessment: searching for true positive
- Case Reports
- Taking a toy gun to school: a consideration of the determinants of adolescent forensic behavior in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting
- Suicidal behavior in a medical professional with comorbid depression and substance use disorder: an educational case report
- Low testosterone in a young combat veteran with dual diagnosis and suicidal behavior: a case study
