The Neurobiological Basis Of Suicide

With recent studies using genetic, epigenetic, and other molecular and neurochemical approaches, a new era has begun in understanding pathophysiology of suicide. Emerging evidence suggests that neurobiological factors are not only critical in providing potential risk factors but also provide a promising approach to develop more effective treatment

With recent studies using genetic, epigenetic, and other molecular and neurochemical approaches, a new era has begun in understanding pathophysiology of suicide. Emerging evidence suggests that neurobiological factors are not only critical in providing potential risk factors but also provide a promising approach to develop more effective treatment and prevention strategies. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide discusses the most recent findings in suicide neurobiology. Psychological, psychosocial, and cultural factors are important in determining the risk factors for suicide; however, they offer weak prediction and can be of little clinical use. Interestingly, cognitive characteristics are different among depressed suicidal and depressed nonsuicidal subjects, and could be involved in the development of suicidal behavior. The characterization of the neurobiological basis of suicide is in delineating the risk factors associated with suicide. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide focuses on how and why these neurobiological factors are crucial in the pathogenic mechanisms of suicidal behavior and how these findings can be transformed into potential therapeutic applications.

Suicide is undoubtedly a worldwide major challenge for the public health. It is estimated that more than 150,000 persons in Europe die as a result of suicide every year and in several European countries suicide represents the principal cause of death among young people aged 14–25 years. It is true that suicide is a complex (and yet not fully understood) phenomenon and may be determined by the interaction between various factors, such as neurobiology, personal and familiar history, stressful events, sociocultural environment, etc. The suicide is always a plague for the population at risk and one of the most disgraceful events for a human being. Moreover, it implies a lot of pain often shared by the relatives and persons who are close to suicide subjects. Furthermore, it has been widely demonstrated that the loss of a subject due to suicide may be one of the most distressing events that may occur in mental health professionals resulting in several negative consequences, such as burnout, development of psychiatric symptoms and lower quality of life and work productivity. All considered, it is clear that the suicide prevention is a worldwide priority and every effort should be made in order to improve the early recognition of imminent suicide, manage suicidal subjects, and strengthen suicide prevention strategies. In our opinion, the first step of prevention is the improvement of knowledge in the field: this was the aim of this present special issue on Frontiers in Psychiatry. In this special issue, several papers have contributed to the suicide knowledge from several viewpoints and we hope that this will contribute to improve and disseminate knowledge on this topic.

The Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder: Road to Novel Therapeutics combines the basic neurobiology of bipolar disorder with discussions of the most recent advances in research, including the interacting pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, genetic approaches and the pharmacogenomics of bipolar disorder. The basic foundational understanding of the neurobiology underlying the disorder, along with a comprehensive summary of the most recent advances in research combine to aid advanced students and researchers in their understanding of bipolar disorder management using novel and fast-acting pharmaceutical and neuromodulatory approaches. Aids readers in understanding bipolar disorder in the context of NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) recommendations Covers a range of existing and potential pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options, from lifestyle adjustments to novel therapeutics Synthesizes a discussion of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying symptoms with clinical aspects of bipolar disorder

Part of the authoritative Oxford Textbooks in Psychiatry series, the new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention remains a key text in the field of suicidology, fully updated with new chapters devoted to major psychiatric disorders and their relation to suicide.

Integrating research from multiple disciplines, this text provides a comprehensive perspective on suicide and examines what works in prevention and intervention. The author is a pioneering researcher and clinician who addresses the classification, prevalence, and assessment of suicide and self-destructive behaviors and explores risk factors at multiple levels, from demographic variables, personality traits, psychiatric diagnoses, and neurobiological factors to the social and cultural context. Student-friendly features include text boxes that dive deeply into specific issues, instructive figures and tables, thought-provoking clinical cases, and engaging examples from literature and popular culture. The text reviews medical and psychosocial treatment and prevention approaches, discusses ways to help those bereaved by suicide, and considers issues of professional liability.

This handbook examines research on youth suicide, analyzes recent data on suicide among adolescents, and addresses the subject matter as a serious public health concern. The book explores the research on youth suicide, examining its causes, new and innovative ways of determining suicide risk, and evidence-based intervention and prevention strategies. In addition, it focuses on specific under-studied populations, including adolescents belonging to ethnic, racial, and sexual minority groups, youth involved in the criminal justice system, and adolescents in foster care. The book discusses how culturally informed and targeted interventions can help to decrease suicide risk for these populations. Key areas of coverage include: Early childhood adversity, stress, and developmental pathways of suicide risk. The neurobiology of youth suicide. Suicide, self-harm, and the media. Assessment of youth suicidal behavior with explicit and implicit measures. Suicide-related risk among immigrant, ethnic, and racial minority youth. LGBTQ youth and suicide prevention. Psychosocial treatments for ethnoculturally diverse youth with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Technology-enhanced interventions and youth suicide prevention. The Handbook of Youth Suicide Prevention is an essential resource for researchers, professors, graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and other professionals in developmental psychology, social work, public health, pediatrics, family studies, child and adolescent psychiatry, school and educational psychology, and all interrelated disciplines. Chapters 8, 9 and 16 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Neurobiology of Depression: Road to Novel Therapeutics synthesizes the basic neurobiology of major depressive disorder with discussions on the most recent advances in research, including the interacting pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of MDD, omics technologies, genetic approaches, and the development of novel optogenetic approaches that are changing research perspectives and revolutionizing research into depression. These basic foundational understandings on the neurobiology underlying the disorder, along with a comprehensive summary of the most recent advances in research are combined in this book to aid advanced students and researchers in their understanding of MDD. Depression is one of the most common mental-health disorders caused by a variety of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is typically treated with first-line antidepressant agents that primarily target monoamine neurotransmission. However, only approximately one-third of patients with MDD achieve remission following a trial with such an antidepressant. Furthermore, MDD is a heterogeneous phenotype, and new frameworks, such as the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) may provide a more accurate, biologically based comprehension of the symptomatic heterogeneity of this devastating illness. Aids readers in understanding major depressive disorder in the context of NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) recommendations Covers a range of existing and potential pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options, from lifestyle adjustments, to antidepressants and novel therapeutics Synthesizes discussions on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying symptoms with the clinical aspects of depression