ArticleAmerican journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics2021
Ethical concerns relating to genetic risk scores for suicide.
Article in American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Growth Trajectories of Suicide Ideation and Attempt in a Population-Based Cohort from the United States.Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research · 2026Article
- Characterizing the co-occurrence of alcohol experimentation and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in early adolescence.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Genetic Overlap Between DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder and Suicidal Behaviors: Evidence from Polygenic Risk Scores in Young Adult Twins.Behavior genetics · 2025Article
- Ethical and social issues in prediction of risk of severe mental illness: a scoping review and thematic analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Associations between polygenic liability to psychopathology and non-suicidal versus suicidal self-injury.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2024Article
- Polygenic risk for suicide attempt is associated with lifetime suicide attempt in US soldiers independent of parental risk.Journal of affective disorders · 2024Article
- Integrative Analyses of scRNA-seq, Bulk mRNA-seq, and DNA Methylation Profiling in Depressed Suicide Brain Tissues.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Article
- The Ethics of Risk Prediction for Psychosis and Suicide Attempt in Youth Mental Health.The Journal of pediatrics · 2023Review
- Ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic risk prediction for multifactorial disease: a narrative review identifying concerns about interpretation and use of polygenic scores.Journal of community genetics · 2023Article
- Polygenic Scores in the Direct-to-Consumer Setting: Challenges and Opportunities for a New Era in Consumer Genetic Testing.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Review
- Ethical layering in AI-driven polygenic risk scores-New complexities, new challenges.Frontiers in genetics · 2023Article
- Extended familial risk of suicide death is associated with younger age at death and elevated polygenic risk of suicide.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2022Article
- Polygenic Contributions to Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in a Sample Ascertained for Alcohol Use Disorders.Complex psychiatryArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide valuable information in research contexts regarding genomic changes that contribute to risks for complex psychiatric conditions like major depressive disorder. GWAS results can be used to calculate polygenic risk scores (PRS) for psychiatric conditions, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, as well as for other traits, such as obesity or hypertension. Private companies that provide direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing sometimes report PRS for a variety of traits. Recently, the first well-powered GWAS study for suicide death was published. PRS reports that claim to assess suicide risk are therefore likely to appear soon in the DTC setting. We describe ethical concerns regarding the commercial use of GWAS results related to suicide. We identify several issues that must be addressed before PRS for suicide risk is made available to the public through DTC: (a) the potential for misinterpretation of results, (b) consumers' perceptions about determinism and behavior change, (c) potential contributions to stigma, discrimination, and health disparities; and (d) ethical problems regarding the testing of children and vulnerable adults. Tests for genetic prediction of suicidality may eventually have clinical significance, but until then, the potential for individual and public harm significantly outweighs any potential benefit. Even if genetic prediction of suicidality improves significantly, information about genetic risk scores must be distributed cautiously, with genetic counseling, and with adequate safeguards.
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