Understanding the Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior

In this compilation, the authors provide a literature review of the relationship between hormones including testosterone, prolactin, leptin, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones, hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis hormones, oxytocin, ghrelin, estradiol and progesterone, insulin, melatonin and suicidal behavior, which has potential public health and clinical significance. Next, protective factors for suicide are highlighted. The discussion also shows how these protective factors also interact with risk factors to provide a buffering effect, thus preventing suicide. A further discussion on prevention in at-risk groups is also conducted. To assess which protective variables are more predictive of a greater or lesser lethality of a previous suicide attempt, the authors study the concept of implementing a higher level of resilience to possible retries at 6 and 12 months after the first attempt. The sample was comprised of 166 people who had been admitted to the emergency services due to a suicide attempt. The purpose of the concluding study is to test whether a distal environmental factor, childhood maltreatment (including physical, sexual and emotional abuse), and more proximate cognitive and affective factors are shared correlates of suicide attempts and dating violence perpetration.