Both high and low testosterone levels may play a role in suicidal behavior in adolescent, young, middle-age, and older men: a hypothesis.
Many studies suggest that testosterone plays a role in the regulation of mood and behavior. Most but not all investigations of the relationship between testosterone and suicidality found relations between testosterone and suicidal behavior. The balance of evidence is in favor of the view that testosterone is involved in the pathophysiology of suicidality. The author has previously proposed that suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults is associated with high testosterone levels, whereas suicidality in older men is associated with decreased testosterone levels. However, both high and low testosterone levels can be observed in adolescent, young, middle-aged and older men. In this article, the author proposes that both high and low testosterone levels may play a role in suicidal behavior in men of any age.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Leo
L
Sher
age; man; suicide; testosterone