Suicide study, past progress and diagnostic transition

Da Yong  Lu

doi:10.15406/ncoaj.2025.11.00323

eISSN: 2572-8474

Nursing & Care Open Access Journal

Opinion Volume 11 Issue 3

Suicide study, past progress and diagnostic transition

Da Yong Lu

School of Life Science, Shanghai University, China

Correspondence: Da Yong Lu, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, PRC, China

Received: May 21, 2025 | Published: July 17, 2025

Citation: Lu DY. Suicide study, past progress and diagnostic transition. Nurse Care Open Acces J. 2025;11(3):75-77. DOI: 10.15406/ncoaj.2025.11.00323

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Abstract

Human suicide is a dangerous phenomenon causing 0.5-1.2 million human mortality annually worldwide. Due to complex features, human suicide study is in a high demand now. Abundant of money and human resources are allocated for developing systems of human suicide prediction, preventions and useful countermeasure. To implement this noteworthy subject, biomedical study is indispensable. Historically, suicide knowledge was greatly based on mental illness study. From long standing suicide and mental disorder relation, the knowledge accumulation and distributions have been evolving mutually. Yet, diagnostic and therapeutic study is almost less advanced in mortality reduction. No 100% effective therapeutics has been dependent. To change this scenario, different fields of suicide studies are discussed.

Keywords: suicide, psychiatric disease, diagnostics, mental illness

Introduction

Overall scenario

Human suicide is a mystery process for inducing 1.3% human deaths.^1-3 Due to many undiscovered character, human suicide biological investigation is critical. In addition to life and economic loses, advanced suicide prediction, prevention and medical management systems should be established.^3-7

Risk factors

Many risk factors can lead to human suicide.^3-7 Human mental health problems (mood disorder, affective diseases, depressive disorders, schizophrenia and so on) have just been discovered to associate with human suicide and deaths. Scientific study of mental illness and other risk factors should be explored for new knowledge enrichments.

Early history

Knowledge evolution

Suicide reports have been lasting from era of Hippocrates (460-377 BC).^8-12The diagnostic and therapeutic studies were evolving in different angels. Table 1 yet, the controversies and challenge of these areas remain. No effective drugs and therapies were popular in the clinic. To face with this dilemma, past reports and literatures should be reevaluated.

Timeline	Major discovery
Ancient Greece	Four elements and melancholy (excess of black bile)
Aretaeus of Cappadocia	Clinical feature of depressive
Middle age	Patients with delusion
16th to 17th	Clinical diagnosis & behavior abnormal
18th	Nervous (animal spirits)
19th	Psychiatric symptoms
20th	Mood disorder & electroplexy & psychosurgery

Table 1 Historic order of suicide knowledge changes

Methodology

Human suicide causality is arguable and complex. Today, neuropsychiatric factors and techniques of genomics and molecular biology are noticeable for suicide diagnosis and treatment.^13-17 Table 2 shows overall relation and methods between suicide and mental disorders. From the general diagnostics and suicide risks are similar between mood disorders or others (hopeless feeling, self-blame and so on) and genetic alteration (poly-genic). The outside stresses (marriage problems and job/family member losses) are also identical between mood disorders and suicide.^18-21

Worldwide; totally 15,629 cases		UK; totally 4,859 cases
Mood disorders	35%	Mood disorders	42%
Substance disorders	22%	Schizophrenia	20%
Personality disorders	12%	Personality disorders	11%
Schizophrenia	11%	Alcohol dependent	9%
Anxiety disorders	6%	Drug dependent	4%
		Anxiety disorders	3%
Other disorders	14%	Other disorders	11%

Table 2 The statistics between suicide and other diseases⁸

Genomic studies

The biomedical studies of human diseases and suicide needs high-quality of suicide prediction, preventions and therapeutics.^{18, 22-26} It advanced greatly in genetic and molecular scenarios. The biomedical information of mental healthcare problems can be translated to high-quality suicide prediction, prevention and therapeutics.

Mental disease pathogenesis

Mental disorders has high rate of human deaths worldwide. In Hippocrates era, “melancholia”—today “depression” (Unipolar disorder) was reported in ancient records. More recently, these mindsets had been lasted. The core of this mindsets can be further helpful in scientific and medical investigations in the future. The explorations of suicide and mental illness last to nowadays. However, the molecular diagnostics are just begun to flourish. Modern diagnostics (genes or molecular) is a new trend.^17-21 Human suicides were reported to be controlled by drugs, such as antidepressants.^18-21However, it has both benefits and risks.²⁶ The improved therapeutics should be discovered.

Current achievements in diagnostics

Psychiatric reviews

The diagnostic guidelines vary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual between mental disorder and suicide. There are many similarities between two systems. Some further studies and streamlines should be made. This form of diagnostic system is the cornerstone of past learning.

Diagnostic insights

Psychiatrics is popular for clinicians or psychiatrists—score or rating for patients. Genetic platforms, like as pharmacogenomics (PG), sequencing, multi-omics or brain image are new frontiers to progress. The analysis of human behaviors mask the disease originations in genetics. The brain features of morphological or visual changes or abnormality see promising outcome in general hospitals and current trends.^17-21 The genetic changes in many genes are under evaluations.^22-23 At least 40 human genes are reported in human suicide. Many scientific research and challenge should be addressed in future.

Neuropathy and brain image

To establish new suicide diagnostic platforms, brain image study is the key and popular now.^25-31 These complex processes have been investigating for two decades (four-fold increase in article number since 2005).³² A number of structural or functional variations have been identified. This is the fastest developing discipline is neuropsychiatric and suicide studies.

Clinical highlights

The progress of suicide studies is rapidly.^33-36 Some antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI show favorable outcomes in the clinic. In addition to antidepressants, other therapeutic selections, such as light therapy (physical treatment),³⁷ emotional regulation,³⁸education for teenage³⁹ are also useful for suicide reduction.

Mathematics and computation

Mathematics or computation (artificial intelligence, AI) are playing important role. Mathematics methods or equation can increase way or latitude of problem thinking.^40-41 AI can simply these research and clinical application.^42-44

Modern challenges

Genetic- or molecular-based suicide prediction and prevention system are future trends. After these studies, patient diagnostics will be quicker and low costs. Drug therapeutics can be highly effective, personalized and usefulness. Investigational pathways are discussed as

Biology, scoring and computational systems help clinical treatments
Different algorithm or calculation systems for customizing several workable paradigms for individual patients
Establishing new diagnosis and treatments by modern technology (genetic, molecular and brain image)
Collecting more biology and pathology data in the clinic.
Accumulating treatment data for future referencing (big-data processing) (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Possible diagram of suicide/mental disorder diagnostic evolutions.

Results

To implement this noteworthy subject, biomedical study is indispensable. Historically, suicide knowledge was mainly based on mental illness study. From long standing suicide and mental disorder relation, the knowledge accumulation and distributions have been evolving mutually.

Discussion

A lot of knowledge and therapies in suicide studies (comorbid, suicide arms, genomics, molecular biology and risk factors) have been revealed across history. Medical solution should be translated from past studies.

Conclusion

Yet, diagnostic and therapeutic study is almost less advanced in mortality reduction. No 100% effective therapeutics has been dependent. To change this scenario, other fields of suicide studies should be aimed. Human suicidal study and application is very important in the clinic. Many comparison between patients and normal people is highly required. This kind of knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment improvement may possibly save many lives and make this world more harmonies.