A Physiological Theory of Sex Differences in Suicide (IN: Why Women Kill Themselves, ed. by D Lester)

This article discusses Skutch’s theory that depression is cuased by dopamine processes in the contral nervous system. The author asserts that the theory receives support from studies of suicide, & then he applies the theory to explain sex differences in attempted & completed suicides. Previous theories asccount for the sex differences by suggesting that women chose less fatal methods, but this theory asserts thast estrogen & dopamine levels may play a central role. (VM)