Serum Levels of Blood Minerals (Fe, Mg) and Vitamins (D, B12) in Suicide Attempters

Suicide is an intentional act that results in the death of a person. Clinical researchers show that a new era has begun in understanding suicide pathophysiology. Our study assessed serum minerals (Fe, Mg) and vitamins (D, B12) to see if they are related to suicide attempts.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Ali-ebn-Abi Taleb Hospital, Rafsanjan City Central District, Kerman Province, Iran in 2022. Prior to measuring the quantity of essential minerals and vitamins in the blood, the degree of depression was assessed using the Beck depression severity scale. Chi-square, Independent T-test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann Whitney U test were performed to ascertain the existence of an association between these substances within the body and suicide attempts.

Thirty-two attempted suicides (24 women and 8 men, mean age 14-46 yr) were included in this study. The mean and standard deviation of depression scores for 32 candidates was 16.43 ± 26.74. Moreover, our results show nearly 46.7% (50% women and 37.5% men) of participants suffer from vitamin D deficiency and 6.7% from Mg deficiency, half of them have also severe depression.

One of the reasons for the cause of depression and suicide attempt could be the status of minerals and vitamins in the body. Therefore, it is likely that a suitable diet and checking blood factors might help to reduce suicide attempts in a society.