A large Nordic study reports that depression emerging in young adulthood carries a stronger hereditary signal than depression that starts later in life. The work, published in Nature Genetics, assessed how genetic profiles relate to suicide attempts in people who first experienced depression before age 25 or after age 50.
The team drew on medical records and genotype data from more than 150,000 individuals diagnosed with depression and 360,000 controls across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Estonia. Then they compared genetic profiles between the two age groups and examined how genetic risk related to suicide attempts.
Lu Yi, one of the study’s corresponding authors, noted the clinical motivation for the study. “We hope that genetic information will be able to help healthcare professionals identify people at high risk of suicide, who may need more support and closer follow-up.” The analysis highlighted marked contrasts in genetic architecture. Twelve genomic regions were linked to early onset, while two were tied to late onset. Estimates from the cohort indicated that one quarter of people carrying a high genetic load for early-onset depression attempted suicide within a decade of diagnosis. This rate was roughly twice that of individuals with lower genetic load.
Yi emphasized the distinct genetic backgrounds of the two groups. “We show that early-onset depression has partly different genetic causes than depression that affects older individuals and that the risk of suicide attempts is increased. This is an important step towards precision medicine in psychiatry, where treatment and preventive measures are tailored to each individual.”
The investigators intend to examine how these profiles relate to neurodevelopment, stress exposure, and life history factors. They also plan to test whether genetic risk scores can be incorporated into suicide prevention strategies.
Publication Details
Shorter, J.R., Pasman, J.A., Kurvits, S. et al. Genome-wide association analyses identify distinct genetic architectures for early-onset and late-onset depression. Nat Genet (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02396-8
The team drew on medical records and genotype data from more than 150,000 individuals diagnosed with depression and 360,000 controls across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Estonia. Then they compared genetic profiles between the two age groups and examined how genetic risk related to suicide attempts.
Lu Yi, one of the study’s corresponding authors, noted the clinical motivation for the study. “We hope that genetic information will be able to help healthcare professionals identify people at high risk of suicide, who may need more support and closer follow-up.” The analysis highlighted marked contrasts in genetic architecture. Twelve genomic regions were linked to early onset, while two were tied to late onset. Estimates from the cohort indicated that one quarter of people carrying a high genetic load for early-onset depression attempted suicide within a decade of diagnosis. This rate was roughly twice that of individuals with lower genetic load.
Yi emphasized the distinct genetic backgrounds of the two groups. “We show that early-onset depression has partly different genetic causes than depression that affects older individuals and that the risk of suicide attempts is increased. This is an important step towards precision medicine in psychiatry, where treatment and preventive measures are tailored to each individual.”
The investigators intend to examine how these profiles relate to neurodevelopment, stress exposure, and life history factors. They also plan to test whether genetic risk scores can be incorporated into suicide prevention strategies.
Publication Details
Shorter, J.R., Pasman, J.A., Kurvits, S. et al. Genome-wide association analyses identify distinct genetic architectures for early-onset and late-onset depression. Nat Genet (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02396-8