Genes are only one of many factors that contribute to suicide. Furthermore, there is almost certainly aetiological heterogeneity for suicide. A recent excellent review, that covers the many aetiological factors for suicide can be found at Article Suicide and suicidal behavior

This kind of behavior is NOT linked to genetics only to bad role models and to false interpretations of belief systems. Depression per se can link to genetics that is to abnormal levels of neuro-transmittors. This kind of impuls can also relate to temporarily feelings of being in a cul-de-sac and may pass after 15 min. Here are our papers on this issue. There is also a piece of therapy to reduce the behavior.

Thank you Dr. Béatrice Marianne Ewalds-Kvist.

Béatrice - I am interested in your statement that suicide " is NOT linked to genetics". What is your critique of the large body of evidence that genetics does play a role in suicide? Human behaviour in general is related to a combination of genes and environment, in varying proportions.

Simon

Yes Dr. Young, in the literature it is well described about the link between genes and suicide. But still there are arguments related evolution as well. I don't think it is just psychological abnormality but linked with genes and environmental factors.

Dhilleswara - I totally agree. As I said in my first response "Genes are only one of many factors that contribute to suicide."

Simon

Dear Simon,

My statement is based on twin-studies in a Finnish textbook in psychiatry (2001). Here is newer research:

Mullins et al. (2014) conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on suicide attempt (SA) and ideation and used for the first time, "polygenic score analysis in cohorts of patients with mood disorders, to test for common genetic variants for mood disorders and suicide phenotypes. Genome-wide studies for SA were conducted in the RADIANT and GSK-Munich recurrent depression samples and London Bipolar Affective Disorder Case-Control Study (BACCs) then meta-analysis was performed. A GWAS on suicidal ideation during antidepressant treatment had previously been conducted in the Genome Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) study. We derived polygenic scores from each sample and tested their ability to predict SA in the mood disorder cohorts or ideation status in the GENDEP study. Polygenic scores for major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium were used to investigate pleiotropy between psychiatric disorders and suicide phenotypes. No significant evidence for association was detected at any SNP in GWAS or meta-analysis. Polygenic scores for major depressive disorder significantly predicted suicidal ideation in the GENDEP pharmacogenetics study and also predicted SA in a combined validation dataset. Polygenic scores for SA showed no predictive ability for suicidal ideation. Polygenic score analysis suggests pleiotropy between psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation whereas the tendency to act on such thoughts may have a partially independent genetic diathesis."