A Gender-Specific Association Between the Serotonin Transporter Gene and Suicide Attempts

A pilot study tested the gender-specificity of the association between suicide attempts & a polymorphism in the promoter area of the serotonin transporter with 2 allelic variants. In a Spanish general hospital, 180 suicide attempters & 212 control blood donors were recruited. Individuals with low expression of the serotonin transporter wee significantly overrepresented in female attempters when compared with controls & male attempters. Lethality appeared to have a significant influence on the effects of the genotype. Further studies are needed to replicate the finding that the serotonin genotype polymorphism may influence suicide attempts only in females. (14 refs.)