Summary: Several lines of evidence indicate that abnormalities in the functioning of the central serotonergic system are involved in the pathogenesis of depressive illness and suicidal behavior. Studies have shown that the number of brain and platelet ...

Summary: There is good evidence from recent studies that depression is familial, and that a substantial proportion of the variation in liability is explained by genes. Suicidal behavior, including completed suicide, also seems to cluster in families. ...

Summary: The involvement of impaired serotonergic functioning in the development of suicidal behavior is one of the best documented findings in biological psychiatry. It is, however, less clear in which way this dysfunction contributes to the occurrence ...

Summary: Depression is associated with high rates of suicidal ideation, which varies in intensity from transient thoughts of wishing to be dead to the making of plans and, finally, to attempts to kill oneself. There is limited evidence from family, twin, ...

Summary: Suicide is the taking of one's own life by one's own hand. It is often sudden and creates many emotional reactions for the survivors left behind. Survivor responses can be impacted by a range of circumstances, from how the person died to the ...