Researchers have discovered that alterations to one gene that is linked to stress reactions may provide physicians with an opportunity to identify the risk of a patient attempting suicide. Furthermore, it can be detected in a simple blood test.

In 2011, 39,518 suicides were reported in the U.S., according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This number makes suicide the 10th leading cause of death in the country.

Lead study author Zachary Kaminsky, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, believes a blood test based on a genetic mutation in a gene called SKA2 may be used to predict suicide attempts among people with mental illness.

The SKA2 gene is involved in controlling dangerous behaviors and inhibiting negative thoughts. It is responsible for accompanying stress hormone receptors, and if there isn’t enough SKA2, or if it is altered, stress hormones cannot suppress cortisol in the brain.

The researchers looked at brain samples from both the mentally ill and those with no history of behavioral issues. It was discovered that those who committed suicide had significantly reduced levels of SKA2.

“Suicide is a major preventable public health problem, but we have been stymied in our prevention efforts because we have no consistent way to predict those who are at increased risk of killing themselves. With a test like ours, we may be able to stem suicide rates by identifying those people and intervening early enough to head off a catastrophe,” said Kaminsky in a statement.

The findings of the study are published online in The American Journal of Psychiatry.