Blunted HPA Axis Activity in Suicide Attempters Compared to those at High-Risk for Suicidal Behavior (original) (raw)

2015, Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Studies looking at the relationship of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) to suicidal behavior and its risk factors, such as depression, childhood abuse, and impulsive aggression, report inconsistent results. These studies also do not always differentiate between subjects who go on to attempt suicide, suicidal subjects who never attempted suicide, and non-suicidal subjects with psychiatric disorders. In this study, we examined cortisol responses to an experimental stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), in 208 offspring of parents with mood disorder. Offspring suicide attempters showed lower total cortisol output [β=-0.47, 95% CI (-0.83, -0.11), p=0.01] compared to offspring with suicide-related behavior but never attempted, non-suicidal offspring, and a healthy control group. The result remained significant even after controlling for sex, age, race, ethnicity, site, socioeconomic status, and hour of the day when the TSST was conducted. Suicide attempters also show...