Relationship between blood cholesterol and suicidal behaviour

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization report for 2021, the Republic of Kazakhstan is among the countries with a high suicide rate in the world ranking, ranking 20th. The nature and mechanisms of the development of suicidal behaviour in humans continue to be insufficiently clear. Previously, a number of studies have revealed the relationship between the level of lipids, in particular cholesterol, and the development of suicidal behaviour. Along with this, there are studies that have not revealed any connection between suicidal behaviour and cholesterol levels. Consequently, the role of cholesterol in the development of suicidal behaviour in humans is an interesting research question. In this regard, we conducted a literature review to determine the relationship between blood cholesterol levels and suicidal behaviour. The literature was searched in the databases Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and eLibrary. The search was carried out by the keywords: “cholesterol” or “total cholesterol” and “suicide” or “suicidal behaviour”. Articles in English and Russian were included. Studies involving only adult patients were included. As a result of the analysis of 79 articles, it was revealed that the majority of authors (70%) came to the conclusion confirming the relationship between cholesterol levels and suicidal behaviour. However, there are a number of studies that do not confirm the existence of such a connection (17%). Despite the revealed contrast, there is a small part of the works (13%) that are presented by reviews and meta-analyses and cannot give an unambiguous answer to the research question we are interested in. Thus, the revealed contradictions can be explained by the fact that suicidal behaviour is complex and multifactorial. The use of cholesterol levels as a biomarker in the future would allow clinicians to obtain a laboratory marker, which, in combination with clinical assessments and symptoms, can make it possible to make a timelier diagnosis and assess the risks in patients with suicidal behaviour. However, to date, the mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear, which is the field for further scientific activity.