Skip to main content
Full access
Letter to the Editor
Published Online: 2 August 2002

More to the Story

The article “Serotonin Receptors Offer Clue to Teen Suicide Risk” in the May 3 issue underscores the finding of increased serotonin-receptor density in the prefrontal cortex of teenage suicidal victims, as also occurs in adults. This is an important finding.
Neither the reporter nor Ghanshyam Pandey, Ph.D., however, hook this up with the established fact of lower levels of 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid, a metabolic product of serotonin, in the cerebral spinal fluids of victims of violent suicide. An up-regulation of 5HT receptors would be expected in a serotonin deficit.
Other clinicians and I have discovered that specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants often ameliorate both irritability and impulsivity in patients who may be exhibiting no other clinical signs of depression, including personality-disordered patients.
The findings of the study, therefore, bear important implications for treatment planning. One wonders, indeed, what might be the prefrontal 5HT receptor density in patients suffering from personality disorders. Might these disorders be, in part, adaptations to lifelong depressive disorder?

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

History

Published online: 2 August 2002
Published in print: August 2, 2002

Authors

Details

Francis J. Durgin, M.D.

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share