The blood test that could help prevent SUICIDE

A new blood test for spotting suicide has been developed by a scientists.

Scientists have discovered stress produces a chemical alteration to a gene called SKA2 and people with suicidal tendencies also have lower levels of the gene, The Daily Mail reported.

Picking up on this change could make it possible for doctors to predict a person’s risk of suicide using a simple blood test - and monitor people most likely to harm themselves.

The SKA2 gene is expressed in the prefrontal cortex of the brain - an area involved in inhibiting negative thoughts and controlling impulsive behaviour.

It 'chaperones' stress hormones into a cell’s nucleus so that they can work to suppress stress levels.

Yet if there are not enough SKA2 or it is altered, the stress hormone receptor cannot suppress the release of the 'stress hormone' cortisol in the brain  - leading to suicidal thoughts.

Researchers looked at mutations in the gene SKA2 in brain samples from mentally ill people who had died from suicide - and then compared them with healthy individuals.

In younger people, blood tests enabled scientists to predict whether a person had attempted suicide with 96 per cent accuracy.

The research was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter