Deciphering the Epigenetic Landscape of Suicidal Behaviour: A Review of Current Findings, Caveats and Future Directions

Suicide is the second leading cause of death globally among young people and the tenth leading cause of death across all ages. Approximately 800,000 people die by suicide every year representing a significant global health burden. Despite this burden, the molecular pathology of suicide remains poorly understood. A number of recent studies have shown that epigenetic alterations are associated with suicidal behaviour. These epigenetic mechanisms, which act to regulate gene expression via modifications to DNA, histone proteins and chromatin, change with age and in response to specific environmental and psychosocial factors —providing a mechanism for the interaction between genotype and the environment. The present review briefly outlines the main epigenetic mechanisms involved in gene regulation and discusses recent findings of epigenetic alterations in suicidal behaviour, their caveats and the future direction of this emerging field of research.