Completed suicide in an autopsy-confirmed case of early onset Alzheimer's disease
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans
Published on: December 18, 2016
Jennifer Wiener Hartzell1,2, Richard Geary3, Kymberly Gyure4,5,6
1Department of Supportive Oncology, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas HealthCare System, NC 28202, USA.
Abstract:
We report a case of a 57-year-old male with clinically diagnosed and autopsy-confirmed early onset Alzheimer's disease who completed suicide by gunshot wound to the chest. This case has several unique aspects that have not been discussed in previous case reports of completed suicide in Alzheimer's disease. In particular, our patient's death was highly planned with successful compensation for his cognitive deficits. After all firearms had been removed from the home as a safety precaution, he obtained a new weapon, hid it and left himself cues to find and use it. The case is discussed in the context of literature differentiating the neural circuitry propagating impulsive versus planned suicidal acts.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Huntington Disease l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction

