Key neurochemical markers for the prevention of suicide

Suicide is an ever-present concern in healthcare provision and, with over 1 million fatalities attributed to this cause each year, it is a problem that is continually in need of a solution. A key issue is identification of those individuals at risk so that effective interventions can be employed.There are significant differences in the neurochemical picture of those suffering from suicidal ideation and normal individuals. Analytical techniques have been widely used to elucidate the pathways involved in the neurochemistry of depression and suicide with the aim of developing more effective treatments. However, there is a clear opportunity for exploiting the advances made in those previous investigations as the foundation for the development of screening assays that, through measuring the variations in neurochemical composition, could offer a more objective assessment of suicide risk.We give an overview of the various species involved in suicidal behaviour and their significance to risk assessment. Moreover, we provide a critical evaluation of the analytical strategies associated with the measurement of those biomarkers and the potential for transferring the technology from pure research to the development of more routine systems for clinical screening