No Association Between Non-violent Suicidal Behavior and the Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism

The authors attempted to determine whether 5-HTTLPR is involved in the susceptibility to non-violent suicidal behavior, by comparing the genotype from patients who attempted suicide by a non-violent mean with controls with no history of suicidal behavior. No significant differences were found, suggesting that the genetically altered expression of the 5-HT transporter might be associated with more severe of violent suicidal behavior, but not with non-violent suicidal behavior. (30 refs)