Chromosome 22 Deletions and Suicidal Behavior in Schizophrenia

Background: Studies have shown that the overall copy number variant (CNV) load is associated with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is frequently associated with suicidal behavior.

Methods: We recruited 263 patients with schizophrenia from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale was used to assess the presence of lifetime suicide attempt. Genotyping was completed using the Illumina Omni 2.5 chip. We tested the association between deletion events on chromosome 22 with suicide attempt in our schizophrenia sample.

Results: There was no significant difference between suicide attempters and non-attempters considering the presence/absence of deletion events on chromosome 22.

Conclusion: Although our results did not show a significant association between deletions on chromosome 22 and suicide attempt in schizophrenia, CNV studies may reveal important, novel insights and open further investigation for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.