OBJECTIVE: The authors hypothesized that significantly more living
monozygotic than dizygotic co-twins of twin suicide victims would
themselves have attempted suicide. METHOD: They determined the absence or
presence of an attempt at suicide at any time among 26 living monozygotic
co-twins and nine living dizygotic co-twins of twins who had committed
suicide. RESULTS: They found that 10 of the 26 surviving monozygotic
co-twins but none of the nine surviving dizygotic co-twins had themselves
attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Although monozygotic and dizygotic twins
may have some differing developmental experiences, these results contribute
to findings of previous studies of suicide in twins in suggesting that
genetic factors may play a role in suicidal behavior.
Abstract Teaser