title: Genetic Vulnerability as a Distal Risk Factor for Suicidal Behaviour: Historical Perspective and Current Knowledge.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide is a multidimensional problem. Observations of family history of suicide suggest the existence of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Starting with a historical perspective, the article reviews current knowledge of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, distinct from the genetic vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, focused on clinical and population-based studies, and findings from recent molecular genetics association studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review includes peer-reviewed research articles and review papers from the professional literature in English language, retrieved from PubMed/Medline and PsycINFO.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The research literature confirms a existence of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour. Even though the results of individual studies are difficult to compare, genetic influences could explain up to half of the variance of the occurrence of suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic vulnerability could be a distal risk factor for suicide, which helps us to understand the occurrence of suicide among vulnerable people. Ethical implications of such vulnerability are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: University of New South Wales, School of Psychiatry, Black Dog Institute, Hospital Rd, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Andriessen
authors.affiliation: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Alja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Videtic-Paska
keywords: ethical considerations; families; genetics; offsprings; probands; review; suicidal behaviour; suicide; vulnerability