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A Blood Test and App May Help Identify Patients at Risk of Suicide
Smithsonian Magazine ^ | 8-26-2015

Posted on 08/26/2015 11:17:50 AM PDT by Citizen Zed

With blood biomarkers and a questionnaire, researchers at Indiana University claim they can pinpoint patients who will have suicidal thoughts within a year.

One person dies by suicide every 13 minutes in America, resulting in about 38,000 deaths each year. While most people who commit suicide suffer from depression or other mental illnesses, the vast majority of depressed people will never attempt to kill themselves. This leaves psychiatrists and other health professionals with the difficult task of figuring out which patients are most at risk.

Now, new research suggests that certain blood biomarkers, in conjunction with a questionnaire, can identify with more than 90 percent accuracy patients who will suffer suicidal ideation (thoughts about how to kill oneself) in the following year. Building on previous research identifying blood biomarkers for psychiatric illness, it holds promise for both patients and doctors.

“We want to identify people who are at risk early on, when simple interventions, lifestyle innovations—reducing stress, getting more sleep, treatment, medications—can change the trajectory for the positive before it spirals into a tragedy,” says Alexander Niculescu of Indiana University School of Medicine, the lead researcher on the study, recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.  

The study began with a cohort of 217 male patients currently receiving psychiatric treatment. The researchers took multiple blood samples from each patient over time, attempting to “catch” samples during times when patients were not feeling suicidal at all and when they were feeling very suicidal. They then compared the blood samples from reported suicidal-feeling times and non-suicidal-feeling times, identifying changes in gene expression. They compared these markers with markers present in the blood of 26 suicide victims from the coroner’s office in Indianapolis and markers identified in prior studies as being present in suicidal patients. They then narrowed the markers to the 11 most significant.

(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS:
Mandatory blood tests and brain-health monitoring smartphones for Everyone!
1 posted on 08/26/2015 11:17:50 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
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To: Citizen Zed

That’s what i was thinking. And those who show a “penchant” (defined by our government betters) will be denied gun ownership.


2 posted on 08/26/2015 11:19:57 AM PDT by fwdude (The last time the GOP ran an "extremist," Reagan won 44 states.)
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To: Citizen Zed

I call BS...


3 posted on 08/26/2015 11:21:42 AM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Darksheare

Leftwing “science.”

Where’s the hockey stick?


4 posted on 08/26/2015 11:23:11 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
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To: MarvinStinson

Exactly.


5 posted on 08/26/2015 11:32:11 AM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Darksheare

The “news” media presents this crap all day long.

What is the PURPOSE behind this?

Always the same—more and more CONTROL of the population.


6 posted on 08/26/2015 11:34:23 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
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To: Citizen Zed

BS....The left needs a way to take out people they can’t re-educate.


7 posted on 08/26/2015 11:34:29 AM PDT by ColdOne (I miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11 HillaryForPrison2016)
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To: Citizen Zed

This kind of thinking comes from a mechanistic understanding of the human organism. It’s not the chemicals in the bloodstream! It’s the mind, stupid.


8 posted on 08/26/2015 11:36:16 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country)
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To: Citizen Zed

That is impossible. How can you predict life events that can change a person from doing fine to being seriously depressed? You can’t.


9 posted on 08/26/2015 11:37:02 AM PDT by Lil Flower (American by birth. Southern by the Grace of God. ROLL TIDE!!)
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To: MarvinStinson

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3329281/posts
That’s part of it.
Here’s the other part
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3328809/posts


10 posted on 08/26/2015 11:45:18 AM PDT by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Citizen Zed; chajin

Chajin & I were discussing the Japanese cultural acceptance of suicide in contrast to the western taboo of same. I would like to see if the Japanese population has the same incidence of these biomarkers as does the western population. I would bet there is no biological correlation between the two cultures regarding this study.


11 posted on 08/26/2015 11:49:34 AM PDT by henkster (Ms. Clinton, are you a criminal or just really stupid?)
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To: Citizen Zed

I bet if you do apost mortum blood test it would be positive for SSRII s


12 posted on 08/26/2015 11:58:18 AM PDT by al baby (Hi Mom)
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To: Citizen Zed

I don’t think there should be mandatory monitoring, but apparently clinical depression markers do show up in blood work.

That said, what people really need is to go back to Shakespeare: “strictures against suicide.” God gave us life and does not want us to decide when to take it away. The Church (and in fact, Protestant churches as well) used to consider suicide a mortal sin, both because of its effect on the survivors and its rejection of God’s gift, and something that would condemn you to total darkness forever.

Now the State is out there encouraging people to kill themselves and in several European countries, “depressed” people can go to a doctor and ask to be killed because they’re depressed.


13 posted on 08/26/2015 12:02:27 PM PDT by livius
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To: Citizen Zed

This blood test and questionnaire will be required for all future gun or knife purchases. /sarc


14 posted on 08/26/2015 12:09:34 PM PDT by justlittleoleme (CRUZ OR LOSE)
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To: Citizen Zed

Yeah, right.....


15 posted on 08/26/2015 5:59:04 PM PDT by Intolerant in NJ
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