title: Vitamin D: a potential role in reducing suicide risk?
abstract: Suicide attempts are known to peak in the spring, overlapping with the time of year when 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are at their nadir in the northern hemisphere because of negligible skin production of vitamin D owing to low levels of ultraviolet B radiation. Low levels of 25(OH)D, the vitamin D metabolite used to diagnose vitamin D deficiency, have been associated with certain pro-suicidal factors such as exacerbation of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and certain medical conditions. Therefore, we hypothesize that vitamin D deficiency could also be associated with increased risk of completed suicides. Here, we briefly review the literature on vitamin D, its deficiency, and its reported association with certain risk factors for suicide.
authors.affiliation: Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Muhammad M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tariq
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Streeten
authors.forename: Helen A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Aamar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sleemi
authors.forename: Baharak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khabazghazvini
authors.forename: Dipika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaswani
authors.forename: Teodor T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Postolache
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013472:Sunlight; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D