Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Genetic, developmental and personality correlates of self-mutilation in depressed patients.

Joyce PR, McKenzie JM, Mulder RT, Luty SE, Sullivan PF, Miller AL, Kennedy MA

Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, New Zealand. peter.joyce@chmeds.ac.nz

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the T allele of G protein beta3 (GNbeta3) is associated with self-mutilation in depressed patients. METHOD: A history of self-mutilation was systematically inquired about when recruiting depressed patients for a long-term treatment trial. Risk factors such as borderline personality disorder and childhood abuse experiences were systematically assessed, and patients were genotyped for polymorphisms of GNbeta3. RESULTS: The T allele of GNbeta3, borderline personality disorder and childhood sexual abuse were all significantly associated with self-mutilation in depressed patients. These associations were significant in both univariate and multivariate analyses, and as predicted were stronger in young depressed patients than in depressed patients of all ages. CONCLUSIONS: If the association between the T allele of GNbeta3 and self-mutilation can be replicated, this may provide clues to understanding the neurobiology of self-mutilation.

Published 14 February 2006 in Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 40(3): 225-9.
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