A large study of military members led by researchers at Duke Health and the Durham VA identified four genes that are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

While more work is needed to determine whether identification of the genetic markers might lead to targeted treatments, the findings advance the understanding of how inherited risk factors play a role in the pathology of suicidal thoughts and actions.

“It’s important to note that these genes do not predestine anyone to problems, but it’s also important to understand that there could be heightened risks, particularly when combined with life events,” said Nathan Kimbrel, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Duke and co-lead author of the study publishing online Dec. 14 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Kimbrel and colleagues, including co-lead author Allison Ashley-Koch, professor in the Department of Medicine at Duke, conducted a large, diverse, genome-wide analysis using data from 633,778 U.S. military veterans. Of the participants, 71.4% were of European ancestry; 19.1% African ancestry; 8.1% Hispanic; 1.3% Asian. Study participants were primarily male, with 9% female.

Within that group of veterans, 121,211 cases of suicidal thoughts or actions were identified from medical records. Participants were classified as controls if they had no documented lifetime history of self-harm behaviors.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2799487