"Research has shown that well over 95 percent of suicides'
brains have deficiencies in serotonin which are most striking
in certain brain regions. Serotonin deficiency is characteristic
of those who make the most dangerous suicide attempts, the group
that really stands out biologically."
In addition to studying brains of those who have successfully
committed suicide, looking at "failed suicides"-those
who made serious attempts and survived only fortuitously-can yield
important data.
He showed an X-ray of a man's head with a nail lodged in it. The
man had shot himself through the forehead with a nail gun and
suffered almost no significant injury.
"By studying serious attempters who have survived, we can
learn important things for treatment," Mann said. "It's
not to say that those who swallow a couple of aspirin are not
at risk-they are more so than the general population-but there
is a difference between these and those who make serious attempts."
Mann said people who succeed at suicide are the ones who plan
the most carefully, rather than acting impulsively.
"Low serotonin occurs three times more frequently in high
planners than low planners," he said.
An interesting finding is that serotonin levels are remarkably
stable over time, so people can present at any time for evaluation.
"It doesn't matter if the attempt happened eight months prior
to testing," he said. "We still can detect the type
of behavior with serotonin deficiency."
