Suicide is an important public health problem.
Although usually regarded as a priority in public health intervention and prevention programs, little exists that can be offered in order to avoid this tragic outcome because we ignore the specific mechanisms that lead to suicide. Several genetic-epidemiologic studies have been consistently suggesting that genetic factors play an important role in the predisposition to suicide, however, the precise genetic mechanisms involved are not yet known. Our hypothesis is that genetic factors that code for components of the serotonergic system may account for an important part of the total genetic variability involved in suicide. Thus, our goal is to identify these genes. To do so, we will conduct a study where completed suicide cases will be studied and genetic variation in these subjects will be compared to genetic variation in non-transmitted parental chromosomes.