STin2 Variant and Family History of Suicide as Significant Predictors of Suicide Completion in Major Depression

The 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region & intron 2 variants of this gene & their relationship to behavioural & clinical risk for factors for suicide were investigated in a sample of 106 depressed suicides & 152 depressed control subjects. A significant association of suicide completion with having at least one copy of the STin2 10 allele was found. No differences were found for the 5-HTTLPR variable number of tandem repeats. After controlling for risk factors, the STin2 variant remained a signficant predictor of suicide in major depression when jointly considered with a family history of suicide. (72 refs.)