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Since suicide and suicidal behavior are considered highly heritable phenotypes, the identification of genetic markers that can predict suicide risk is a clinically important topic. Several genes studied for possible associations between genetic polymorphisms and suicidal behaviors had mostly inconsistent and contradictory findings. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate the associations between completed suicide and polymorphisms in genes BDNF (rs6265, rs962369), SLC6A4 (5-HTTLPR), and FTO (rs9939609) in relation to sex and BMI. We genotyped 119 completed suicide victims and 137 control subjects that were age, sex, and ethnicity matched. A significant association with completed suicide was found for BDNF rs962369. This variant could play a role in completed suicide, as individuals with the CC genotype were more often found among suicides than in control subjects. After sex stratification, the association remained significant only in males. A nominally significant association between the gene variant and BMI was observed for BDNF rs962369 under the overdominant model. Heterozygotes with the TC genotype showed a lower average BMI than homozygotes with TT or CC genotypes. FTO polymorphism (rs9939609) did not affect BMI in the group of Slovak suicide completers, but our findings follow an inverse association between BMI and completed suicide.

The pathophysiology of affective disorders (AD), including depressive disorders (DD) and anxiety disorders (ANXD), is still unclear. To understand risk factors of the disorders, we evaluated genetic variations of the serotonin reuptake transporter (5-HTTLPR, ins/del) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, rs6265) in Slovak patients suffering from AD. After genotyping we observed a significantly increased frequency of LS and LL genotypes (5-HTTLPR) in individuals diagnosed with AD compared to controls (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.21-3.27, p = 0.006). There was also a significant relationship between TT (BDNF) genotype and the risk of AD in males (OR = 5.93, 95% CI = 1.42-27.07, p = 0.011). In gene-gene analysis, the LL or LS (5-HTTLPR) and CT or TT (BDNF) genotype combinations had a risk-enhancing effect on AD susceptibility (mainly ANXD in males), while SS (5-HTTLPR) and TT (BDNF) combination had a protective effect on AD risk (mainly ANXD). However, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.

(1) Background: This study aimed to investigate the motives and factors connected to suicidal behavior in 121 hospitalized patients with intentional self-harm (diagnosis X 60-81 according to the ICD-10); (2) Methods: Suicidal behavior of the patient was assessed from data obtained by psychiatric examinations and by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Analysis of data to identify the patients’ reason and motives behind suicidal behavior in a group of patients with a suicide attempt (SA, n = 80) and patients with Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior (NSSIB, n = 41) was carried out; (3) Results: Results showed that patients with affective disorder have a 19-times higher rate of SA against other diagnoses. Patients with personality disorders have a 32-times higher rate of NSSIB than patients with other diagnoses. Living alone and the absence of social support increased the likelihood of SA. Qualitative data analysis of patients’ statements showed different themes in the justification of motives for suicidal behavior between SA and NSSIB cases. Significant differences were shown for non-communicated reasons, loneliness, social problems, extortion, and distress; (4) Conclusions: The evaluation of patients’ verbal statements by qualitative analysis during the psychiatric examination should be considered in clinical practice. It should be considered to include self-poisoning in the criteria of the Non-suicidal Self-Injury diagnostic categories.

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