Cortisol reactivity and suicidal behavior: Investigating the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in suicide attempters and ideators
Participants who had made a previous suicide attempt exhibited significantly lower cortisol response to acute stress. Participants who made an attempt within the past year exhibited a blunted cortisol response to stress. Participants who had made a suicide attempt and had a family history of suicide also exhibited a blunted cortisol response. Lower levels of cortisol in response to stress were associated with higher suicidal ideation at 1-month in attempter group.