The gender matters

Abstract

While there is converging evidence suggesting gender differences in the rates of suicidal behaviors, substantially less is known about the mechanisms underlying these differences. What follows is a review of the evidence supporting gender differences in suicidal behaviors, including epidemiology, age trends, methods, risk and protective factors, treatment, and the effects of sexual orientation and culture. Although some of the gender differences in suicidal behaviors may be partially explained by environmental and behavioral factors, there is very little data on the role of sex differences in neurobiological risk factors. Surprisingly, the role of sexual hormones and sex differences in brain development on the risk for suicidal behaviors remains largely unexplored.