A blood test could be used to help predict suicide risks in the near future. Current testing on this approach has yielded an 80 percent accuracy rate of predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviors in test subjects.

The test, as described by a study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, looks for chemicals related to a mutation in the SKA2 gene. When levels of this gene are reduced, chemicals known as methyl groups increase in the blood stream. Researchers think that elevated levels of methyl group chemicals result in a decreased capacity to cope with everyday stressors.

When something stressful occurs, stress hormones, such as cortisol, help the body deal with the threat. An example given by one of the authors of the study is the act of crossing the street. Stress hormones can serve to keep a person alert as they face the potential danger of oncoming traffic, but the person would need to rebound from that stress quickly to continue their daily lives. Individuals with excessive methyl group chemicals do not seem to be as capable of regulating their stress reactions in this way.

These same chemicals could also play a role in impulse control and the production of negative thoughts.

Examining brain samples from several studies has revealed that elevated levels are commonly present in people whose death was the result of suicide.

Research does not indicate that those with higher methylation are guaranteed to commit suicide, however. Scientists believe that with further development, the test could help predict the potential for suicidal behaviors, allowing interventions to occur earlier. Earlier interventions are associated with better outcomes in many cases and if the test can stand up to larger testing conditions, there could be the potential to save thousands of lives.

Right now there are nearly 36,000 suicide deaths each year.