Clinical, demographic, and genetic risk factors of treatment-attributed suicidality in >10,000 Australian adults taking antidepressants

Emergence of suicidal symptoms has been reported as a potential antidepressant adverse drug reaction. Identifying risk factors associated could increase our understanding of this phenomenon and stratify individuals at higher risk. Logistic regressions were used to identify risk factors of self-reported treatment-attributed suicidal ideation (TASI). We then employed classifiers to test the predictive ability of the variables identified. A TASI GWAS, as well as SNP-based heritability estimation, were performed. GWAS replication was sought from an independent study. Significant associations were found for age and comorbid conditions, including bipolar and personality disorders. Participants reporting TASI from one antidepressant were more likely to report TASI from other antidepressants. No genetic loci associated with TAS I (p < 5e-8) were identified. Of 32 independent variants with suggestive association (p < 1e-5), 27 lead SNPs were available in a replication dataset from the GENDEP study. Only one variant showed a consistent effect and nominal association in the independent replication sample. Classifiers were able to stratify non-TASI from TASI participants (AUC = 0.77) and those reporting treatment-attributed suicide attempts (AUC = 0.85). The pattern of TASI co-occurrence across participants suggest nonspecific factors underlying its etiology. These findings provide insights into the underpinnings of TASI and serve as a proof-of-concept of the use of classifiers for risk stratification.