Page 7 - Read Online
P. 7
Page 204 Lu et al. J Transl Genet Genom 2020;4:203-9 I http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2020.33
Table 1. Historic order of knowledge of mood disorder discovery (suicide associated) [8]
Timeline Major discovery
Ancient Greece Four elements and melancholy (excess of black bile)
Aretaeus of cappadocia Clinical features of depression
Middle age Patients with delusion
16th to 17th Clinical diagnosis and abnormal behavior
18th Nervous (animal spirits)
19th Psychiatric symptoms
20th Mood disorder, electroplexy and psychosurgery
Suicidal study scenario
Multiple different factors can lead to emergency situations with human suicide including environmental
[5]
(external) and viral, drug or genetic factors (internal) . It has recently been discovered that mental health
problems may be a useful avenue for further clinical study of suicide including mood disorders, affective
[6,7]
diseases, depressive disorders, and schizophrenia . As a result, knowledge on suicide should be based
both on scientific study and knowledge of mental illnesses.
EARLY HISTORY
Earliest knowledge of human mental disease
The diagnosis and treatment of suicide and mood disorders go back by more than 2000 years (Hippocrates
[8,9]
in 460-377 BC) . From a long history of mood disorder studies, the diagnostic and therapeutic measures,
especially terminology, have been gradually established. Yet, diagnostic and therapeutic controversies still
remain. A great part of diagnosis and therapy in suicide and mood disorders is unsatisfactory. No targeted
therapeutic drug is 100% effective although modern, supportive diagnostic systems have been established.
To improve this scenario, the history and literature on suicide need to be carefully reviewed [Table 1].
Social science for human suicide
Human suicide has been reported for more than 3000 years for social knowledge. In ancient Greece, Egypt
and Rome, suicide was not allowed and regarded as sinful. The victims’ bodies would be abandoned in the
[10]
wilderness and left to animals . Only in 1,642 in the UK was it then accepted as a human illness. In recent
times, society has gradually recognized that it is social inequality and poverty that drives human beings to
[10]
kill themselves; thus, many social reforms have begun .
Statistics of suicide worldwide
[11]
Worldwide, the statistics on human suicide are highly varied between countries such as Latin America ,
[17]
[15]
[12]
[14]
Greece , Japan [13,14] , South Korea , Europe , Australia [16,17] and the US . Depending on the author.
Comparing suicides across the world is difficult otherwise as there are many economical and political
reasons [11-17] . There is also great variation in the age and gender of human beings who attempt suicides.
Thus, a deep understanding of the subject is required.
MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ADVANCES
Association between suicide and neuropsychiatry
The causal factors of human suicide are arguable and remain widely disagreed. Currently, neuropsychiatric
[6,7]
factors are recognized as one of the main culprits for human suicide events and mortality . Table 2 shows
a large clinical sample and data that display a strong association between risk of suicide and other mental
health problems.
From a diagnostic aspect, the symptoms for risk of human suicide (feeling of hopelessness, self-blame and
so on) are similar to those of mood disorders (hopelessness and helplessness). The external insults of the