Even though the majority of people with depression don’t die by suicide, statistics show that roughly 30 percent who are unaffected by multiple antidepressant drugs or therapy make at least one attempt in their lifetime.

A common misconception about depression is that it must be treated as a single condition. However, it often involves multiple ailments that can heighten the risk of suicide, according to Science Mag. Researchers are currently trying to identify several depression subtypes by comparing the neural circuits that light up during certain tasks with actual depression symptoms. These efforts are part of a larger initiative to delve deeper into brain biology and mental health.

Identifying subtypes of depression that are most often linked to suicide

While the ultimate goal is to identify suicide risks through biological means, researchers hope to develop effective strategies for care that extend far beyond conventional psychiatry. This effort includes Research on Anxiety and Depression-Anhedonia Treatment (RAD-AT), which enrolls volunteers with certain subtypes of depression that put them at a heightened risk of suicide.

The study — which is led by Leanne Williams, a Stanford clinical neuroscientist — pioneers a method of treatment based on brain circuitry. In addition, the study hopes to link symptoms of depression to brain biology in order to help those who have had no previous success with treatment.

For more than 20 years, Williams has studied how depression manifests in the brain and has worked to collect thousands of brain scans from people with depression. After losing a patient early in her career, and recently, a loved one, she has dedicated herself to preventing death by suicide in people with depression.

After extensive research, Williams has identified at least six subtypes of depression, each of which is generated by unusual activity in the brain that effects certain sets of circuits responsible for regulating mood and cognition. Three key subtypes were found to be linked to suicide risks. These include:

• A subtype that affects a circuit called the default mode network, which creates aimless mental chatter and negative thoughts while the brain is in neutral.
• Another subtype, also called anhedonia, affects the reward networks — causing those affected by it to feel little or no pleasure.
• A third subtype associated with attention, planning, and impulse (called cognitive control) often doesn’t respond adequately to depression treatment.

The link between brain biology and suicide has been studied since the early 1980s, particularly by neuroscientist John Mann of Columbia University. After examining the brains donated by families of those who died by suicide, he found that levels of serotonin were significantly lower than depressed people who died in other ways.

What other research has concluded

Mann recently joined Maria Oquendo, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania, to further study the link between low serotonin levels and suicide. In a 2016 study, Mann and Oquendo compiled data from positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, which tracks serotonin levels in the brain by using radioactive labels.

The study, which included 100 participants who were depressed or suicidal, found a significant biological difference between people with low-serotonin levels and those who experience circumstantial suicidal thoughts.

Another study, which was led by neuroscientist Irina Esterlis at Yale University focused exclusively on the link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide. The study also used PET imaging, which found that people with PTSD who experienced suicidal thoughts were deficient in the signaling molecule glutamate. Esterlis’s finding also explores the possibility of treatment with a drug called ketamine, which may help with glutamate deficiency.

Skeptics believe that there is no one way to identify depression subtypes. Some research suggests indicators of depression subtypes may be based on distinct symptoms, response to treatment, genetics, hormones, and gut bacteria.

What we do know is, suicidal thoughts often occur in people who, otherwise, live seemingly satisfying lives. For this reason, conventional psychiatry may not be effective at mitigating the risk. You can’t simply ask a person suffering from depression why they feel depressed. The biological markers in the brain simply can’t be expressed in words.

We hope that the findings from this research lead to effective measures of identifying biologically related suicide risks and administering effective treatment.

If you have lost a loved one due to death by suicide, you may be looking for answers and closure. An experienced Texas suicide lawyer at the Law Offices of Skip Simpson can help you through these difficult times. We’re dedicated to helping families seek justice. Contact us online today to schedule a free case evaluation with our legal team.

Death by suicide has become a growing safety concern for American service personnel over the years. According to Military.com, approximately 321 active-duty military personnel took their lives in 2018. This included 57 Marines, 68 sailors, 58 airmen, and 138 Army soldiers.

As of 2004, the suicide death rate among American service personnel has exceeded deaths due to combat injuries.

Suicide and gun ownership, access

One study published in the online journal JAMA Network Open, scrutinized more than 100 deaths by suicide involving active-duty American service personnel and found a significant link between the ownership, access, and usage of firearms, and the risk of suicide.

Researchers in the study conducted psychological autopsies of 135 American service personnel who died by suicide during a period of 27 months while on active duty (but not deployed). In addition, they interviewed next-of-kin and supervisors regarding deceased American service personnel ownership, storage, and use of firearms.

These patterns of behavior were then weighed with those of a controlled group of American service personnel with likened demographics and assessed suicide risks, as well as a second group of American service personnel who had expressed suicide ideation during the previous year.

The study found that American service personnel who died by suicide were more likely to own loaded firearms, carry them in public, and store them in their homes.

According to researchers, determining this pattern of behavior as a suicide risk factor may require additional research. The sample size in the study was rather small, and in many cases, researchers weren’t able to interview next-of-kin (who are more likely to have knowledge of an individual’s firearm ownership and use).

This study may help piece together the behavior patterns of American service personnel who die by suicide, however. Additionally, it may serve as a positive step towards identifying suicide risks and allowing for intervention.

What can be done?

The staggering number of deaths by suicide among American service personnel has prompted the Department of Defense (DOD) to take action. The DOD plans to address these suicide risks by focusing on three key areas:

• Data surveillance and reporting — the DOD plans to release an accurate, annual suicide data report.
• Program evaluation — scrutiny of overall suicide outcomes including attempts and deaths, as well as help-seeking behavior, barriers to care, and cohesion.
• Private and public collaboration — the DOD seeks to form a collaborative effort between federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, academia, and other community support groups.

With proper care, suicide can be prevented and failure to provide this care can result in tragedy. American service personnel put their lives on the line to serve their country and protect us. Our system has a duty to return service to these brave men and women and look out for them.

If you have lost a loved one to suicide, or someone you know, you may be looking for answers. The Law Offices of Skip Simpson is here to help. We offer free case evaluations to the survivors and families of American service personnel who have died by suicide. We can identify where the system failed and where intervention should have been offered.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you.