Researchers have discovered a gene that causes human beings to commit suicide.
The research found out that four genetic variations are more common in military veterans who have killed themselves or suffered suicidal thoughts.
Researchers from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, examined blood samples from a database that included 630,000 veterans.
The samples were sequenced to build a genetic profile of each participant, which were then compared to their medical records.
The genes have previously been linked to psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and schizophrenia, according to Daily Mail.
Researchers say that while these genes probably raise the risk of suicidal thoughts, they do not ‘predestine anyone to problems’ in the future.
In 2020, the year with the most recently available data, 45,979 Americans died by suicide. Military veterans are at the highest risk, with 6,146 dying that year.
Suicide is the second leading killer of American men under 45, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Rates among women have also increased 50 percent in recent years, with experts warning that increased stress levels and self-esteem issues brought on by social media may be playing a role.
In Nigeria, suicide has been on the increase in recent times.
According to a 2020 report on suicide in Nigeria conducted by General Psychiatry, the mean (SD) age of the reported cases was 36.33 (15.48) years.
Majority of the reported cases were male (80.6%), married (51.8%), students (33.6%), living in a semi-urban area (40.3%) and among the age group of 25–34 (25.3%). Hanging (48.6%) and poisoning (32.2%) were the most commonly reported methods of suicide.
Financial constraints and marital conflicts were most commonly assumed precipitating factors.
Conclusion This study suggests that being male, married, or living in semi-urban areas are associated with suicide in Nigeria.
