Disorders related to behavioral disinhibition (e.g., substance use disorders, ADHD, etc.), generally referred to as externalizing disorders11,12, share a common etiology13. Twin and family studies suggest that the liability for externalizing is highly heritable14,15. Recent multivariate genome wide association studies (GWAS) have found robust evidence for shared genomic factors for externalizing16–18. This genetic liability to externalizing also is genetically correlated with suicide attempt16,19, and externalizing polygenic scores (PGS) are associated with suicide-related outcomes20,21. Moreover, cases of death by suicide were enriched for genomic risk for a variety of traits related to externalizing, including AUD and other mental health problems22. However, we do not yet fully understand the nature of genetic overlap between externalizing and suicide-related outcomes.
