Low cholesterol levels are associated with higher rates of attempted suicide

This study was published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry 1999 Oct;41(4):300-6

Study title and authors:
Serum lipid profile in suicide attempters.

Verma S, Trivedi JK, Singh H, Dalal PK, Asthana OP, Srivastava JS, Mishra R, Ramakant, Sinha PK.
SANDEEP VERMA, Senior resident Doctor, Department of Psychiatry, K.G's Medical College, Lucknow.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21430801

This study investigated the association of cholesterol levels with suicidal behaviour. Cholesterol profiles of 40 suicide attempters were compared with 40 non suicidal control subjects.

The study found:
(a) Total cholesterol levels were 8.7% lower in suicide attempters compared to non suicidal subjects.
(b) High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were 1.7% lower in suicide attempters compared to non suicidal subjects.
(c) Levels of "the so called bad" low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were 10.5% lower in suicide attempters compared to non suicidal subjects.

The results of this study show that low cholesterol levels are associated with higher rates of attempted suicide.

Links to other studies:
Low Cholesterol, Depression and Suicide in Women
Lowering cholesterol levels lead to an increase in death from accidents, suicide, and violence
Low cholesterol leads to increased suicide