Suicide on the paternal and maternal sides of depressed patients with a lifetime history of attempted suicide

The computational model of Slater, based on the analysis of ancestral secondary cases on the paternal and maternal sides of the subjects, was applied to depressed patients with a lifetime history of attempted suicide, either violent or nonviolent, in order to investigate possible modes of transmission of suicidal behavior. Among 549 patients, 15 had 2 or more ascendant first- and second-degree relatives who committed suicide. The results of the distribution of these cases were compatible with polygenic inheritance of suicidal behavior in depressed patients with a history of attempted suicide. In patients using violent methods, a significantly greater loading of ancestral secondary cases of suicide was observed on the maternal side and, in the nonviolent attempter group, on the paternal side.