The Neurobiology of SuicideThe Neurobiology of Suicide
All In The Mind
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist, John Mann, has a grisly job. He wants to understand why some deeply depressed souls take their own lives, yet others resist. His team's post-mortem studies suggest a distinct neurobiology of suicide. And, for those left behind, might there be a definite 'biology of sadness' too? Also, a bereft father writes to his dead son, and asks 'why?'
30:01•19 May 2007
The Neurobiology of Suicide and the Biology of Grief
Episode Overview
- Over 90% of people who die by suicide are described as having a psychiatric disorder, often undiagnosed or untreated.
- A small area of the prefrontal cortex, influenced by serotonin, is linked to impulse control and suicidal behaviour.
- Sadness in grief is proposed as an active process that helps weaken an attachment to someone who has died so life can continue.
- People who cry less and appear less distressed early after a loss may adjust better over time, challenging older ideas about "grief work".
- A bereaved father’s ongoing letters and rituals show how grief can soften with time yet still remain part of life decades later.
“"You fought the world and won. You fought yourself and lost."”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction, depression and grief so intense it leads to suicide? This episode of All In The Mind brings together hard science and raw emotion to ask exactly that. Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Professor John Mann talks with host Natasha Mitchell about what might set apart those who act on suicidal thoughts from those who don't.
Drawing on decades of research, he explains how a small decision-making area in the prefrontal cortex, and the brain chemical serotonin, can shape impulse control. As he puts it, people with low serotonin in the wrong place "are more likely" to act when they feel suicidal, angry or desperate. Rather than treating suicide as purely a social problem, Mann shares evidence that over 90% of people who die by suicide have an underlying psychiatric illness, often undiagnosed and untreated.
He also suggests that suicidal behaviour and aggression share biological roots, and that measuring serotonin-related changes in the brain and spinal fluid may help predict future risk. Balancing this scientific angle is the voice of Roger, a father whose 23-year-old son Richard died by suicide. His letters, later published in the collection *If Only: Personal Stories of Loss Through Suicide*, bring the biology down to earth. Lines like "You fought the world and won.
You fought yourself and lost" and "You have created a continuing supply of if-only's for us all" show how grief, guilt, love and unanswered questions can linger for decades. Mann also suggests sadness itself might have a biological role, helping loosen a powerful attachment to someone who has died so that life can, painfully, move forward.
For anyone touched by suicide, depression or addiction, this mix of science and lived experience may prompt tough questions – and perhaps a new way of understanding both the brain and the heart. What parts of this story feel most familiar to you?
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