Cholesterol Metabolism and Suicidality in Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome Carriers

The authors examined the relationship between cholesterol metabolism & suicidality in carriers of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome & their families. Structured interviews were conducted with 51 carriers of this syndrome & 54 matched comparison subjects. There were significantly more suicide attempters & completers among the biological relatives of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome carriers than comparison subjects but family history of psychopathology did not significantly differ between the groups. More suicide attempts were reported among Smith-Lemli-Opitz carriers than among the comparison subjects. (10 refs.)