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The Harvard Medical School guide to suicide assessment and intervention
... Men complete suicide more than four times more often than women ( people commit suicides at the highest rates (CDC, 2006). There is also a higher risk for suicide among people who have an education above high school (Kung, Liu, & Juon, 1998), are unmarried, live alone, childless, recently suffered a personal loss (Heikkinen et al., 1995;Kposowa, 2001;Kposowa, 2000), and have several stressors in their lives, such as chronic physical illnesses of the self or close family (Moscicki, 1999). ...
... However, of all suicide risk factors the two most prominent predictors are mental illness and substance abuse (Kung et al., 1998;Moscicki, 1999;Pirkola et al., 2000;Henriksson, Aro, Marttunen, Heikkinen, Isometsa et al., 1993;Blair-West, Cantor, Mellsop, & Eyeson-Annan, 1999;Allebeck & Allgulander, 1990;Conwell et al., 1996;Durkheim, 1951;NIMH, 2003). Psychiatric diagnosis, particularly mood disorders (major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder) and schizophrenia, significantly increase the odds of suicide (Patel et al., 2006;Rihmer & Pestality, 1999). ...
... Mentally ill persons who commit suicide frequently act out of despair, desperation, hopelessness, helplessness, or in response to command hallucinations 4 or delusional thoughts (Moscicki, 1999;Hiroeh et al., 2001;Pinninti, Steer, Rissmiller, Nelson, & Beck, 2002;Mondimore, 1999;Goodwin & Jamison, 1990). Alcohol intoxication is a frequent finding among suicides by means of overdosing medications or illicit drugs (Pirkola et al., 2000) and by firearm discharge (Durkheim, 1951;Hiroeh et al., 2001). ...
Background and significance: Lethal violence, including homicide and suicide, takes the lives of 45,000 Americans per year. Intimate partner (IP) homicide is a type of lethal violence that is classified as a form of homicide by policymakers, law enforcement personnel, healthcare providers, and others. It accounts for only 7% of all homicides, but nearly one-third of all homicides of women. The rates of all types of lethal violence have decreased since 1985, but the distribution of IP homicide has gone from nearly half male and half female victims to one-quarter male and three-quarters female victims during that time. Because of the relationship shared between the perpetrator and the victim, the nearly unlimited access the perpetrator has to the victim, and the sociodemographic distinctions between IP homicide and non-intimate homicide, the author hypothesizes that it is not a type of homicide per se, but instead a separate entity deserving distinctively different approaches to prevent it.
Design and Methods: The primary aim of this study is to determine if IP homicide is a type of homicide similar to non-intimate homicide in seasonal, regional, economic, and sociodemographic distributions, if it is more like suicide in those distributions, or if it a separate form of lethal violence with its own set of predictive criteria. Using a combination of statistical techniques including Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney’s U-test, ordinary least squares regression, and negative binomial Poisson regressions, the author of this study examines a comprehensive database consisting of homicide data from the Supplementary Homicide Reports, suicide data from the Mortality Multiple Cause of Death Reports, as well as Census, firearm, alcohol, and religiosity data from a variety of resources covering the entire United States from 1985-2004. To create a panel for evaluation, the author aggregated these data at the county level to create a dataset with 54,037 county months of observations.
Results: Intimate Partner Homicide does not correlate to regional, seasonal, economic, and sociodemographic variables in the same way as non-intimate homicide or suicide. Instead, IP Homicide does not vary with season or region of county. It correlates with increases in population density, but is lower in counties designated as rural. Its only economic response is to negatively correlate with unemployment. Further, it is higher in counties with higher numbers of churchgoers. It also higher in counties with higher proportions of single-parent households and with broader age gaps between male and female intimates. The finding most important to policymakers is that since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, IP homicide incidence has significantly decreased, but that decrease is disproportionately in favor of male victims.
Discussion and Policy Implications: The results of this study support the post that Intimate Partner Homicide is a separate “Current of Lethal Violence”, which many say is the most preventable type of lethal violence. Since IP homicide is not like non-intimate (NI) homicide, it might not be amenable to the same prevention strategies applied to NI homicide. Examples of these strategies include an increased police presence in areas with higher IP homicide rates. Enhancements to the Violence Against Women Act that focuses on women not capable of taking risks to protect themselves, such as leaving the abuser, could prove very beneficial. These enhancements could include interventions focusing on education of mental health and emergency department healthcare providers, as well as improvements in law enforcement methods used to stop intimate violence. An approach that recognizes that IP homicide is unlike NI homicide; therefore, prevention should begin with recognition of the intimate dyad and its effect on the persons within it. Some couples might not want to be separated, but instead they might just want the violence to end.
... No standard definition of murder-suicide exists; however, murder-suicide has often been defined as "an act in which a person perpetrates one or more homicides followed by his/her suicide," with variable definitions of temporal or intentional linkage (Nock and Marzuk, 1999;Liem, 2010). Alternative labels used in the literature have included "homicide-suicide," "extended-suicide," and "dyadic death." ...
... Far from a recent phenomenon, murder-suicide has been documented throughout history across various cultures around the world (Milroy, 1995), for example, in public cases of amok, rampage/mass shooting, and suicide terrorism, as well as in domestic cases like familicide-suicide (Nock and Marzuk, 1999;Lankford and Hakim, 2011;Hagan et al., 2015). The annual incidence of murder-suicide in the USA is estimated to be 0.31 events per 100,000 people, which is more than twice the average global rate of 0.14 events per 100,000 people (Large et al., 2009). ...
... amorous jealousy, altruistic, possessive, retaliatory, resentful, psychotic, depressed, etc.). Using such classification systems, the most common form of murder-suicide by far is a man killing his estranged female partner, accounting for 50-75 percent of all murder-suicide incidents (Marzuk et al., 1992;Felthous and Hempel, 1995;Nock and Marzuk, 1999). Despite media attention, mass murder-suicides are among the most rare forms (Liem, 2010;Knoll, 2016). ...
Purpose – The phenomenon of murder-suicide (aka. homicide-suicide) makes a sizeable impact on current public perceptions and policies regarding mental illness and risk for violence. However, within the past 25 years, our understanding of murder-suicide has remained relatively stable, and so has our relative inability to reliably predict and prevent it. The purpose of this paper is to propose pathways for furthering a cogent understanding of murder-suicide that may inform specific predictive and preventative practices. Design/methodology/approach – Research literature regarding empirical and theoretical positions in the fields of murder-suicide, homicide, and suicide are reviewed and discussed. Findings – While murder-suicide has many similarities to both homicide and suicide, no current theories of either alone have been successful in fully incorporating the phenomenon of murder-suicide. Theories specific to murder-suicide as a unique form of violence are in need of further research. Originality/value – Developing and empirically testing theories of murder-suicide may lead to a vast and needed improvement of our understanding, prediction, and prevention of these tragedies.
... (Cooper et al., 1991). While statistics on deaths certified as suicide provide some data towards the demographics pertaining to this field, deaths may not be classified as suicide to protect families (Moscicki 1999;Cooper et al., 1991) and reported suicides are notoriously underrepresented in statistical reporting (Jacobs, Brewer & Klein-Blenheim, 1999). This chapter will explore the multiple areas related to suicide, including prevalence in youth, methods and contributing co-morbid factors. ...
... In the U.S. firearms are the primary method of suicide death for both men and women across all age groups. The second most common method for men is hanging and for women is self-poisoning (Moscicki, 1999). The statistics in Canada are similar with the exception being the most preferred method for females is self poisoning (Ministry of National ...
... Unlike information on suicide mortality, the area of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts is far from clear with no primary data source (Moscicki, 1999). There is little agreement as to the exact definition of ideation and it is not regularly reported. ...
... So, in most situations we don't even know that a patient is suicidal. Edwin Shneidman introduced the field of Personology based on the fact that every person is unique and potentially at risk of suicide if their essential vital needs are blocked and unsatisfied [5]. Shneidman's psychological approach offers a significant contribution to therapy and crisis intervention for the suicidal patient. ...
... The World Health Organization (WHO) defines suicide as a suicidal act with a fatal outcome where a suicidal act is defined as " self-injury with varying degrees of lethal intent " . Suicide is a drama in the mind in which a person says, " enough " to psychological pain or " psychache " , the negative emotions of shame, guilt, loneliness, abandonment , ennui [5]. Prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide In a study of 700 people in Connecticut 10% of non-patients said that they had the experience of feeling that life was not worth living and one person out of 20 had considered suicide [7]. ...
... Sex: Males account for 75% of completed suicides although females attempt three times as often [10]. Age: The highest risk age groups are 15-24 years [11] and people over the age of 60 years [5]. The rate of completed suicides is highest among elderly. ...
Suicide remains one of the most challenging concerns that face the practicing psychiatrist. It is the leading cause of death in patients with psychiatric disorders. Fifty to seventy-five percent of people who commit suicide do not tell anyone about their suicidal thoughts or plan. The aim of this paper is to present the most important issues in assessment and treatment for the acute and long term risk of suicide. We suggest the use of a mnemonic sad persons escape to help identify the risk factors for suicide. A new dimension of the psychological approach to suicide is the field of personology that emphasizes the uniqueness of each individual and that every person is at risk of suicide when a vital need is thwarted. Addressing the risk factors and acknowledging and validating the meaning of the patient's psychological pain is helpful in organizing crisis interven-tions and planning short and long term management. It is very important for every patient to be assessed on a continuous basis to identify all potential risk factors that are amenable to interven-tion. Together these suggestions and knowledge provides the psychiatrist with an understanding of how to reach out to suicidal patients to bring them back to life.
... Predictors of suicidal behavior and risk factors include a history of previous suicide attempts, certain demo graphic variables, clinical symptoms and issues related to medical and social support. 24 The aim of this paper is to review the literature and the latest develop ments on the research and knowledge of suicidal behavior and death from suicide. In order to systematically review the literature on the subject, the literature databases Pubmed, PsychLit and ProQuest were searched using the keywords: suicide, psychopathology, mental pain, impulsivity, aggression and communication difficulties References were identified and grouped so as to delineate the major contributions surrounding the issue. ...
... For instance, one work suggests that gender and the presence of mental disorders play less of a role in the occurrence of suicidal behaviors in low and middleincome countries. 24 In a worldwide project published in 2008 by the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, surveys were carried out in 17 countries. A total of 84,850 adults were interviewed regarding suicidal behaviors, socio demographic and psychiatric risk factors. ...
Suicidal behavior is a major public health problem. As it has for decades, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the western world. This paper reviews the literature and the latest developments on the research and knowledge of suicide behavior and death from suicide.
The key words psychopathology, mental pain, impulsivity; aggression, and suicide were entered in to databases; pubmed; psychlit and proqest. Significant articles were scrutinized for relevant information. According to WHO, estimates for the year 2020 approximately 1.53 million people will die from suicide, and 10-20 times more people will attempt suicide worldwide. Those estimates represent on average one death every 20 seconds and one attempt every 1-2 second. Although of low predictive value, the presence of psychopathology is probably the single most important predictor of suicide. Accordingly, approximately 90% of suicide cases meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder, particularly major depression, substance use disorders, cluster B personality disorders and schizophrenia. Other more transient factors that reflect an imminent risk of suicide crisis and therefore require immediate intervention include unbearable mental pain and related experiences of depression and hopelessness. Problems in help seeking, social communication and self disclosure also pose a suicide risk, as do personality traits of aggression and impulsivity. All these factors are highly correlated with suicidal behavior across psychiatric samples and nosological borders.
Although suicidal behavior has been well studied, empirically and clinically, the definition of the different subtypes and phenotypes of suicidal behaviors and mechanisms underlying some of the risk factors (such as aggression, impulsivity, suicide intent) remain unclear. Reducing the increasing trend of suicide rates among the most vulnerable populations will require further research. Hopefully this review will contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon and to the development of preventive initiatives
... Predictors of suicidal behavior and risk factors include a history of previous suicide attempts, certain demo graphic variables, clinical symptoms and issues related to medical and social support. 24 The aim of this paper is to review the literature and the latest develop ments on the research and knowledge of suicidal behavior and death from suicide. In order to systematically review the literature on the subject, the literature databases Pubmed, PsychLit and ProQuest were searched using the keywords: suicide, psychopathology, mental pain, impulsivity, aggression and communication difficulties References were identified and grouped so as to delineate the major contributions surrounding the issue. ...
... For instance, one work suggests that gender and the presence of mental disorders play less of a role in the occurrence of suicidal behaviors in low and middleincome countries. 24 In a worldwide project published in 2008 by the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, surveys were carried out in 17 countries. A total of 84,850 adults were interviewed regarding suicidal behaviors, socio demographic and psychiatric risk factors. ...
Suicidal behavior is a major public health problem. As it has for decades, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the western world. This paper reviews the literature and the latest developments on the research and knowledge of suicide behavior and death from suicide. The keywords: suicide, psychopathology, mental pain, impulsivity, aggression and communication difficulties were entered into databases: PubMed, PsychLit and ProQuest. Significant articles were scrutinized for relevant information. According to WHO estimates for the year 2020, approximately 1.53 million people will die from suicide, and ten to 20 times more people will attempt suicide worldwide. These estimates represent on average one death every 20 seconds and one attempt every one to two seconds. Although of low predictive value, the presence of psychopathology is probably the single most important predictor of suicide. Accordingly, approximately 90 percent of suicide cases meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder, particularly major depression, substance use disorders, cluster B personality disorders and schizophrenia. Other more transient factors that reflect an imminent risk of suicide crisis and therefore require immediate intervention include unbearable mental pain and related experiences of depression and hopelessness. Problems with help-seeking, social communication and self-disclosure also pose a suicide risk, as do personality traits of aggression and impulsivity. All these factors are highly correlated with suicidal behavior across psychiatric samples and nosological borders. Although suicidal behavior has been well studied, empirically and clinically, the definition of the different subtypes and phenotypes of suicidal behaviors and mechanisms underlying some of the risk factors (such as aggression, impulsivity, suicide intent) remain unclear. Reducing the increasing trend of suicide rates among the most vulnerable populations will require further research. Hopefully this review will contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon and to the development of preventive initiatives.
... With respect to suicide prevention and early intervention strategies, this case report demonstrates the importance of incorporating suicide risk screening into routine assessments in medical settings, as detection of risk can serve as a gateway into mental health treatment. Therefore, it is essential to implement validated instruments that assess suicide risk [10][11][12][13][14][15]. With respect to practice guidelines for the assessment and treatment of patients with suicidal behaviors, the American Psychiatric Association suggests 1) conducting an in-depth psychiatric examination, 2) asking explicitly about suicidal ideation, intent, plans, and attempts, 3) estimating the patient's level of suicide risk, and 4) including modifiable risk and protective factors in treatment planning [16]. ...
... In this case example, an important part of the patient's safety planning procedures involved the negotiation of a In addition to comprehensive family-based safety planning strategies with suicidal adolescent with diabetes, suicide prevention and early intervention strategies are needed for this vulnerable population. Early detection of patients at elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors is essential [10][11][12]. Broad-based screening [13] as well as targeted screening practices [14] should be implemented in clinical practice settings where adolescents with diabetes receive their medical care. Finally, coordinating psychiatric and medical management of adolescents with diabetes who screen positive for depression, self-harming tendencies, or suicidal ideation is critical in reducing suicide-related morbidity and mortality. ...
Adolescents with Diabetes Mellitus Type I are at risk for depression and suicide, particularly suicide via insulin injection. A case presentation is used to examine the suicide attempt via insulin injection of an adolescent female with diabetes. The case is discussed, emphasizing the importance of screening for suicidal ideation, monitoring adolescents with diabetes and comorbid suicide-related thoughts and behaviors carefully, and addressing insulin management in safety planning procedures with these adolescents and their families.
... Distal risk factors represent a 'foundation,' they are 'necessary but not sufficient' for suicide, while proximal risk factors (precipitating events) are neither necessary nor sufficient (1). Suicide is not a result of the effect of one single risk factor, but rather of an interaction of factors that lead to the necessary and sufficient conditions for suicide (1). Genetic vulnerability for suicidal behaviour could be considered as a distal risk factor. ...
... Masaryk completed a sociological monograph on suicide. 1 Taking into consideration social factors and mental illnesses regarding suicidal heredity, he concluded: 'Obviously, psychical inheritance occurs indirectly in a physiological, morphological and pathological way, but how we are to conceive of this no one yet perceives' (13). Almost simultaneously, Morselli reflected further on the complex and interacting causality of suicide, incorporating both environmental and heritable aspects: '[I]f it were possible to know exactly the physiological temperament of all selfdestroyers, and, above all, the hereditary transmission, direct or indirect, of the morbid germs, we should be able to trace back the fatal determination of their last act to its true and efficient cause' (14). ...
Introduction. Suicide is a multidimensional problem. Observations of family history of suicide suggest the existence of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour.
Aim. Starting with a historical perspective, the article reviews current knowledge of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, distinct from the genetic vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, focused on clinical and population-based studies, and findings from recent molecular genetics association studies.
Method. The review includes peer-reviewed research articles and review papers from the professional literature in English language, retrieved from PubMed/Medline and PsycINFO.
Results. The research literature confirms a existence of a genetic vulnerability to suicidal behaviour. Even though the results of individual studies are difficult to compare, genetic influences could explain up to half of the variance of the occurrence of suicide.
Conclusion. Genetic vulnerability could be a distal risk factor for suicide, which helps us to understand the occurrence of suicide among vulnerable people. Ethical implications of such vulnerability are highlighted.
... The mothers often face multiple psychosocial stressors such as financial problems/unemployment, social isolation, full time care giver status, being victims of domestic violence, or have other relationship problems like conflict with family members, ongoing abusive adult relationships, and lack of social support.[23] A significant proportion (16-29%) of filicides end in completed suicide by the mother.[4] ...
... mothers often face multiple psychosocial stressors such as financial problems/unemployment, social isolation, full time care giver status, being victims of domestic violence, or have other relationship problems like conflict with family members, ongoing abusive adult relationships, and lack of social support.[2,3]A significant proportion (16-29%) of filicides end in completed suicide by the mother.[4]Bourget and Bradford (1990)[5]noted that 31% of parents who committed filicide had a diagnosis of major depression, compared with none of the perpetrators of nonparental homicide. ...
The tragedy of maternal filicide and extended suicides has occurred throughout history. Maternal filicide-suicide perpetrators most often suffer from depression, suicidality, or psychosis. Interventions in such cases are not commonly reported in the psychiatric settings, and the components of psychotherapeutic approach and its efficacy are also not known. Here we present a long-term therapy carried out with a 36-year-old married lady, with the complaints of low mood, suicidal ideation, severe guilt feelings, and depressive cognitions. There was positive family history of depression, past history of dysthymia, suicidal attempt, and severe marital discord. Therapy was carried out for a period of 9 months with follow-up for 4 years and addressed existential issues and grief with the components of existential therapy, grief therapy, narratives, religious beliefs, and interpersonal acceptance. The case highlights the need for blending of multiple approaches to meet the challenges such cases can pose.
... Before turning to a discussion of field procedures, it is important to note that these procedures were constrained by a number of design requirements dictated by the results of an exhaustive review of the literature on risk and resilience factors for suicide and suicidal behaviors in the general population (Nock et al., 2008) and the military (Gilman et al., 2013). This review made it clear that suicidal behaviors develop through complex, multi-determined processes in which psychosocial and neurobiological factors combine to establish varying levels of risk that overlap for suicide and suicide attempts (Moscicki, 1999;Nock et al., 2008). Rather than summarize the content of these reviews, we merely note for current purposes that the important predictors of suicidality documented in the review were many and varied. ...
... As noted earlier, the initial literature review showed clearly that suicidal behaviors develop through complex, multidetermined processes. These processes are thought to involve psychosocial and neurobiological factors that combine to establish varying levels of risk (Moscicki, 1999;Nock et al., 2008), with important factors including such diverse things as accumulating stressful life experiences that create risk of suicidality through processes partially mediated by biological pathways (McEwen, 2007) and modified by genetic susceptibilities (Krishnan et al., 2007). The effects of these differential susceptibilities, in turn, are thought to be at least partially mediated by trait-temperament and environmental factors that are themselves jointly influenced by environmental and biological factors (Brent et al., 2002;Caspi et al., 2003;Higley and Linnoila, 1997;Kraemer et al., 1997). ...
The Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) is a multi-component epidemiological and neurobiological study of unprecedented size and complexity designed to generate actionable evidence-based recommendations to reduce US Army suicides and increase basic knowledge about determinants of suicidality by carrying out coordinated component studies. A number of major logistical challenges were faced in implementing these studies. The current report presents an overview of the approaches taken to meet these challenges, with a special focus on the field procedures used to implement the component studies. As detailed in the paper, these challenges were addressed at the onset of the initiative by establishing an Executive Committee, a Data Coordination Center (the Survey Research Center [SRC] at the University of Michigan), and study-specific design and analysis teams that worked with staff on instrumentation and field procedures. SRC staff, in turn, worked with the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (ODUSA) and local Army Points of Contact (POCs) to address logistical issues and facilitate data collection. These structures, coupled with careful fieldworker training, supervision, and piloting, contributed to the major Army STARRS data collection efforts having higher response rates than previous large-scale studies of comparable military samples. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
... In particular, we coded whether the suicide victim also committed murder prior to his or her death. Although murder occurs in fewer than 5% of all suicides (Nock & Marzuk, 1999), murder-suicide was indeed a prominent type of article about suicide, accounting for more than one third of all stories. We also examined whether the story involved a case of assisted suicide. ...
... "By [their] nature, the stories [about murder-suicide] tend to be a bit more sad, involving family members, prompting more interest and sense of tragedy among readers," noted a reporter from the Omaha World-Herald. This feature of murder-suicide stories is consistent with research indicating that these suicides often involve family members, frequently a man who kills his spouse and then himself (Nock & Marzuk, 1999). ...
Prominently placed press reports of suicide have the ability to produce imitation among vulnerable individuals. This led to the release of consensus recommendations supporting the responsible news reporting of suicide in August 2001. This article summarizes research supporting the recommendations and indicates ways that reporters can cover suicide without encouraging imitation. Content analysis of the New York Times for 1990, 1995, and 1999 indicates that although the suicide rate did not increase during this period, the prominence of suicide reporting did. In addition, articles did not focus on treatable preexisting conditions (e.g., depression) that play a role in up to 90% of self-inflicted death. Interviews with 57 journalists indicated that they were unaware that their reporting could produce suicide imitation. Health professionals can aid journalists by underscoring the effectiveness of treatments for depression and encouraging reporters to include sources of help for the suicidal.
... Yet, the hypothesis of correlation between IPV and suicide is not supported by our data in this specific group, suggesting the role of other risk factors. Indeed, untreated depression, another undiagnosed mental illness [47,48], social isolation, and a recent change in health status [41] could all be factors capable of triggering homicide-suicide. For these reasons, suicidal ideation should be investigated in those situations characterized at least by social isolation experienced by the elderly. ...
The intentional homicide of female victims, which is most commonly perpetrated by intimate partners or family members, has been recognized in recent years as a matter of grave public concern that needs to be addressed from the cultural and judicial perspectives. To allow an in-depth criminological and psychopathological evaluation of female homicide in Italy in 2021 to be conducted, the authors performed a newspaper report analysis of the phenomenon. All female homicides that occurred in Italy in 2021 (n = 119) were included in the study. The analysis confirmed the low rate of female homicides in Italy when compared with other countries and also showed the phenomenon to be more complex than usually described. The highest rate of homicides was observed in elderly females when compared with other age groups, implying different criminological considerations and suggesting that gender-based violence may only explain some of the identified cases. The high incidence of suicide or attempted suicide among offenders, together with the high incidence of reported mental disorders in that population, suggests that a psychopathological perspective on the phenomenon of female homicide could help with the development and implementation of preventive strategies that focus on managing mental health at a territorial level and intervening in difficult domestic situations.
... 49,50 Education is presumed to bring about more economic empowerment and good quality of life and as a result reduces other risks of suicide such as poverty, homelessness and unemployment. 47,51 But this was not the case in our study as educational status was not found to be associated with suicidality (p = 0.112). ...
Background: There is increasing evidence that patients with schizophrenia have high tendency to commit suicide. However, such an act is usually preceded by suicidal behaviours (or suicidality) such as suicidal ideations, suicidal intent, suicidal plans and suicidal attempt. If any of this suicidal behaviour spectrum is missed, then suicide results. In spite of the relevance of such behaviours in the management and prognosis of schizophrenia, there is a paucity of research on the patterns and correlates of suicidal behaviours amongst this population group in sub-Saharan Africa.
Aim: This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of suicidality and its relationship with certain sociodemographic and clinical variables.
Setting: The study was conducted at the outpatient psychiatric clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State.
Methods: Suicidal behaviours were assessed amongst 160 randomly selected patients with schizophrenia over a six-month period. The prevalence, pattern and correlates of suicidal behaviour amongst them were also assessed. Data were collated and processed with the eighteenth version of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 18).
Results: About 43.1% of the participants exhibited suicidal behaviour. Of these, 5.8% exhibited suicidal plans whilst 75.4% attempted suicide. In terms of severity, one tenth (10%) of those who expressed suicidal behaviour exhibited severe suicidal tendencies. Participants who earned lesser income were more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviour. The same pattern was observed for medication adherence viz a viz suicidal behaviour.
Conclusions: The study brings to the fore the tendency of patients with schizophrenia to commit suicide, hence the need to screen for suicidal behaviour before suicide eventually occurs.
... Palmero et al. (1997) On the other hand, it has been argued that terrorists do not belong to such a classification because they consider themselves as combatants whose mission is to kill the enemy, and their own violent death is not suicide, but a sacrifice to God, Allah, or a particular group and its higher causes (e.g. Nock & Marzuk, 1999). Inclusion of various cultural and religious backgrounds, we maintain, results in a more complete classification and allows comparisons of suicide terrorists with other types of H-S. ...
Combined homicide‐suicide (H‐S) is a phenomenon described as an offender committing a homicidal act followed by their suicide. Current literature on H‐S is dominated by a focus on men and their particular set of motivations and actions, primarily because females constitute only a small fraction of the cases of completed H‐S. This review begins by analyzing this data and integrating females within two subclassifications of H‐S: the psychopathology of the actor (or perpetrator), and the actor's relationship to her homicide victims. Within the relational subcategory of H‐S, females are: (1) underrepresented when victims are their spouses or intimate partners (consortial H‐S); (2) more prevalent when victims are their own children (filial H‐S); and (3) with rare exceptions, not represented in extrafamilial, adversarial and pseudo‐commando H‐S perpetrators. This review includes female bombers in this gender comparison.
... But sometimes, these filicides end with suicide by the mother, with a frequency of 16%-29%. 10,13 Indian society is patriarchal with a strong son preference. There are deep cultural roots for male gender favouritism across the country. ...
Dyadic suicides may be committed simultaneously or one after another by two or more people who may or may not have made a prior pact. The perpetrator is usually male and their victims female, and generally their intimate partners, with children less commonly involved. Another distinct type of homicide-suicide is the killing of children by a parent (filicide-suicide). The terms ‘maternal filicide’ or ‘paternal filicide’ are used respectively when the perpetrator is the mother or the father of the victim. We report a rare case of maternal filicide, where the mother drowned her three children and then herself in the same water tank. The case highlights the extreme stress put on a mother of girls in a patriarchal society where there is an overriding expectation and wish for sons. The resulting pressure on this mother for her ‘failure’ caused her to take her own and her children's lives.
... On the other hand, empirical research has provided mounting evidence for the role of depression in suicidal risk (e.g., Clark & Fawcett, 1992;Moscicki, 1999). In three reviews of psychological autopsies, researchers concluded, respectively, that 50%, 44%, and 43% of all suicide victims had previously suffered from a depressive disorder (Arsenault-Lapierre, Kim, & Turecki, 2004;Bertolote, Fleischmann, De Leo, & Wasser- man, 2004;L€ onnqvist, 2008). ...
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious public health concern among adolescents. Identifying risk factors of NSSI is important to effectively prevent or reduce such behavior. Child maltreatment is one of the most widely recognized risk factors for NSSI. How child maltreatment and NSSI is related, however, is still unclear. The present study tested the temporal relationship between physical and emotional abuse and NSSI, with distress intolerance as the potential mediator. Potential gender differences on these associations were also tested. We assessed all study variables among 2259 Chinese adolescents (53.8% females; Mage = 15.11 years, SD = 1.57) for three times at 6-month intervals. The results showed that distress intolerance only mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and NSSI, but not between physical abuse and NSSI. In addition, this mediation effect of distress intolerance was significant only for females. The findings of this study can help researchers and practitioners understand pathways by which child maltreatment impacts adolescent NSSI. Implications for preventions and interventions of NSSI were discussed.
... On the other hand, empirical research has provided mounting evidence for the role of depression in suicidal risk (e.g., Clark & Fawcett, 1992;Moscicki, 1999). In three reviews of psychological autopsies, researchers concluded, respectively, that 50%, 44%, and 43% of all suicide victims had previously suffered from a depressive disorder (Arsenault-Lapierre, Kim, & Turecki, 2004; Bertolote, Fleischmann, De Leo, & Wasserman, 2004;L€ onnqvist, 2008). ...
Suicide is a major public health concern, especially in adolescence. Identifying risk factors for suicide is important to effectively prevent such behavior. Depression is one of the most widely examined risk factors for suicidal risk. How depression and suicidal risk are related, however, is still not clear. This study tested a model with three key constructs of the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicidal behavior (IPTS)—perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI)—as mediators in the relationship between depression and suicidal risk among Chinese adolescents. Chinese high school students (N = 1,074; 54.2% male; Mage = 13.87 years, SD = 1.48) completed questionnaires assessing all study variables. Results suggested that perceived burdensomeness and NSSI partially mediated the relationship between depression and suicidal risk. Findings of this study emphasize the importance of the IPTS framework in understanding the possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between depression and suicidal risk, and suggest a possible avenue for suicide interventions.
... No obstante estas limitaciones, los resultados dan una información invaluable y previamente no disponible sobre las tasas de comportamientos relacionados con suicidios no letales en Colombia. Es de anotarse que la cohorte de 35-49 años de edad y después del primer empleo son factores de riesgo en Colombia, son diferentes cuando se les compara con reportes previos en otros países (16,17) en los que el genero femenino, ser joven y tener desventaja social, han sido reportados como factores de riesgo para comportamientos relacionados con el suicido. ...
El suicidio es un problema importante de salud pública en Colombia. Sin embargo, poco es conocido acerca de la prevalencia y factores de riesgo de los principales comportamientos relacionados con este. El presente artículo intenta mostrar la prevalencia y factores de riesgo en el suicidio, a partir de los resultados de la encuesta nacional de salud mental de Colombia. Los parámetros evaluados fueron la ideación, los planes y los intentos de suicidio en una encuesta de hogares, realizada cara a cara, con una muestra representativa a nivel nacional de 4426 adultos, que hace parte de la Encuesta Mundial de Salud Mental de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. La prevalencia de ideación, de planes e intentos de suicidio son 12.4% (0.7), 4.1% (0.4) y 4.7% (0.4) respectivamente.
El mayor riesgo tanto de ideación como de intento de suicidio entre aquellos con ideación es en el grupo entre 18-29 años. En Colombia como en el mundo, el suicidio es una entidad de cuidado, con una prevalencia importante y sobre la cual se deben hacer esfuerzos para disminuir los números arrojados por este estudio. Los esfuerzos para la prevención del suicidio son desafortunadamente y con urgencia necesarios en Colombia. Por lo tanto, futuras investigaciones deben definir los determinantes de los comportamientos relacionados con el suicidio.</p
... Because depression has been demonstrated to be an important predictor of death by suicide (Thomson, 2012) and suicide ideation (e.g. Campos et al., 2013;Moscicki, 1999;Youssef et al., 2004), mediates the relation of several psychological variables with suicide risk (e.g. Campos et al., 2012), and is related to coping (e.g. ...
Background and aims(s): The study evaluated the contribution of coping strategies, based on the Toulousiane conceptualization of coping, to the prediction of suicide risk and tested the moderating effect of gender, controlling for depressive symptoms.
Method: A two-time data collection design was used. A community sample of 195 adults (91 men and 104 women) ranging in age from 19 to 65 years and living in several Portuguese regions, mostly in Alentejo, participated in this research.
Results: Gender, depressive symptoms, control, and withdrawal and conversion significantly predicted suicide risk and gender interacted with control, withdrawal and conversion, and social distraction in the prediction of suicide risk. Coping predicted suicide risk only for women.
Conclusions: Results have important implications for assessment and intervention with suicide at-risk individuals. In particular,the evaluation and development of coping skills is indicated as a goal for therapists having suicide at-risk women as clients.
... Differences exist across nations. In the USA, for example, homicide-suicide mostly takes place between men and their (estranged) intimate partners, whereas in Japan, the majority of homicide-suicide events take place between mothers and their children (Nock and Marzuk 1999). In Hong Kong, both are true-47 % of victims in the domestic abuse cases are spouses and 48 % are children (Yip et al. 2009). ...
This study explores 63 homicide–suicide cases that include two or more homicide victims, in the People’s Republic of China. This is the first study to examine homicide–suicide in the Chinese context, following calls to develop a research strategy outside of the USA and Europe. Data are derived from a content analysis of Chinese news sources from 2000 to 2014. Findings show homicide–suicide offenders are likely to be married males living in rural cities who kill their intimate partners and/or children inside a residence using knives. Intimate partner conflict and extramarital affairs are precipitating factors in almost half of the incidents. Patterns of homicide–suicide in China are comparable to those in high-income countries, except that firearms are not the primary means in China and there is no evidence of “mercy killing” among older persons, as described in western homicide–suicide studies. Findings are related to the social and economic structure of Chinese society. Clinical and policy implications include the need for greater transparency and a nationwide homicide and suicide tracking system in China, stricter domestic violence laws, postmortem studies of the brains of homicide–suicide offenders, and psychological autopsies on homicide–suicide perpetrators.
... However, Loas and Defélice (2012), in a longitudinal study with suicidal individuals, reported that dependency was associated with suicide attempts even when statistically controlling for depression. Research has also systematically demonstrated that depression has an important role in suicidality in various types of samples (e.g., Clark & Fawcett, 1992;Moscicki, 1999), particularly in young adults (Youssef et al., 2004). Depression is a powerful predictor of suicidal behavior in college students (Lamis, Malone, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, & Ellis, 2010), and several studies have indicated that it mediates the associations of dependency and self-criticism personality traits with suicidality in nonclinical adolescents and adults (Campos et al., 2012(Campos et al., , 2013(Campos et al., , 2014. ...
This study tested a prediction model of suicidality in a sample of young adults. Predictor variables included perceived parental rejection, self-criticism, neediness, and depression. Participants (N = 165) responded to the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, the Inventory for Assessing Memories of Parental Rearing Behavior, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Perceived parental rejection, personality, and depression were assessed initially at Time 1, and depression again and suicidality were assessed 5 months later at Time 2. The proposed structural equation model fit the observed data well in a sample of young adults. Parental rejection demonstrated direct and indirect relationships with suicidality, and self-criticism and neediness each had indirect associations with suicidality. Depression was directly related to suicidality. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
... The construction of this model is based on the contributions of three different perspectives of suicide, Blatt's (1995Blatt's ( , 2008, Joiner's (2005), and Shneidman's (1979Shneidman's ( , 1993 models. We also incorporate the contribution of depression because empirical research has systematically demonstrated its importance for suicide (e.g., Clark & Fawcett, 1992;Moscicki, 1999). In our model, two distal trait dimensions, self-criticism and neediness, and three proximal state-dependent dimensions, depression, psychache, and interpersonal problems (perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness), are included. ...
The aim of the present study is to test a theory-based model of suicide in a low-risk nonclinical sample. A community sample of convenience of 200 adults, 102 men and 98 women, responded to the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, the Center for the Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale, the Psychache Scale, the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, and the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire Revised. The hypothesized structural equation model, including trait dimensions of self-criticism and neediness, and state dimensions of depression, psychache, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness, fit the observed data well and significantly explained 49% of the variance of suicidality.
... Addressing these calls, in this paper we provide a review of the epidemiology of suicidal behavior and extend earlier reviews in this area (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) in two important ways. First, we provide an update on the prevalence of suicidal behavior over the past decade. ...
... Research has systematically demonstrated depression has an important role in suicidality [8,[10][11][12] and that personality traits of self-critical perfeccionism and dependency, according to Blatt's perspective are related with depression [12][13][14]. Several clinical reports [15][16][17] and empirical research [18][19][20][21][22] have also linked self-criticism with suicidality [23]. ...
... were the first to develop a comprehensive classification system that grouped occurrences of murder-suicide by victim-perpetrator relationship and common precipitants or motives (Nock & Marzuk, 1999). The most common MTH typology classifications include spousal murder-suicide, or the murder of current or former romantic partner; filicide-suicide, which involves a parent (often the mother) killing one or more children; familicide-suicide, in which entire families are murdered; and extra-familial murder-suicide, which refers to the uncommon but highly publicized mass murders and suicidal bombers (Marzuk et al., 1992). ...
Previous studies have implicated significant differences between military members and civilians with regard to violent behavior, including suicide, domestic violence, and harm to others, but none have examined military murder-suicide. This study sought to determine whether there were meaningful differences between military and civilian murder-suicide perpetrators. Using data from the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), military (n = 259) and civilian (n = 259) murder-suicide perpetrators were compared on a number of demographic, psychological, and contextual factors using chi-square analyses. Logistic regression was used to determine which variables predicted membership to the military or civilian perpetrator groups. Military murder-suicide perpetrators were more likely to be older, have physical health problems, be currently or formerly married, less likely to abuse substances, and to exhibit significantly different motives than civilian perpetrators. Logistic regression revealed that membership to the military, rather than the civilian, perpetrator group was predicted by age, physical health problems, and declining heath motive-reflecting the significance of a more than 15-year difference in mean age between the two groups. Findings point to the need to tailor suicide risk assessments to include questions specific to murder-suicide, to assess attitudes toward murder-suicide, and to the importance of assessing suicide and violence risk in older adult military populations.
© The Author(s) 2015.
... & Holden, 2012), and Joiner's (2005) interpersonal needs constructs. Depression has also been related to suicide risk (e.g., Moscicki, 1999;Youssef et al., 2004). Although a few studies have attempted to demonstrate how these four factors combined relate to indicate suicide risk (e.g., Campos et al., 2013;Campos & Holden, in press), none of them have simultaneously tested all four of these variables. ...
Using structural equation modeling, we tested a primary model of suicide risk and 3 competing, alternative models based on 4 psychological variables deemed important in the literature (perception of parental rejection, depression, interpersonal needs comprising perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, and psychache), in a nonclinical sample of Portuguese adults.
A convenience sample of 203 adults (100 men, 103 women; aged18-65 years) participated in this study.
Analyses demonstrated that the proposed primary model had the best fit to the observed data. The differences in fit indexes for this model and one of the alternative models, however, were not substantial.
Perceived parental rejection related directly to suicide risk and indirectly via depression and interpersonal needs. Depression linked indirectly to suicide risk via interpersonal needs and psychache. Interpersonal needs related directly to suicide risk and indirectly via psychache, which related directly to suicide risk.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
... Although the rates of homicide-suicide appear to be relatively stable across nations, sociocultural influences lead to varying characteristics. For example, as Nock and Marzuk (1999) pointed out, most homicide-suicides in the United States are perpetrated by men against their (estranged) intimate partners, whereas in Japan the majority of homicide-suicides take place between mothers and their children. ...
Homicide followed by suicide constitutes a severe form of lethal violence that leads to shock and incomprehension. These acts of interpersonal violence mainly occur in partnerships and families, involving male perpetrators and female and child victims. This chapter delineates the present state of knowledge regarding homicide-suicide by addressing the nature and incidence of these acts and the characteristics of subtypes of homicide-suicide. Specific attention is paid to the main theoretical underpinnings used to explain the homicide-suicide phenomenon, with a particular focus on evolutionary psychological perspectives.
... adult male age groups – and that of older women was lower than that of younger women (Figure 1). 'Old old' males are more likely than others to kill themselves. disorder. He believes that more often it results from psychosocial stressors. The general view is that suicide results from a complex interplay of factors, one being psychological distress. Shneidman (1999) argued that suicide occurs when psychache (intensely felt psychological pain) becomes unbearable . The data presented above show relatively huge variations in suicide rates. Can these be explained as being due to varying levels and types of stress? If so, did the stressors lead to suicide, or did they lead to mental disorders that led t ...
... Suicide is a leading cause of death around the world with over half a million suicides each year (Wingate, Joiner, Walker, Rudd, & Jobes, 2004). Estimates indicate that 2-5% of the general population attempt suicide annually (Moscicki, 1999) and significantly more individuals endorse suicidal ideation at some point in their lives (Nock et al., 2008). The discrepancy between the high prevalence of suicidal ideation and the low occurrence of suicide leads to clinicians' inaccurate assessment of suicide risk and inflates false-positive prediction rates (Oquendo, Halberstam, & Mann, 2003). ...
The present study examined how patient risk factors and clinician demographics predict the assessment of suicide risk. Clinicians (N = 333) read two vignettes, one of which manipulated patient risk factors, then rated the patient's likelihood of suicide and need for hospitalization. Clinicians' assessments were heterogeneous. Results indicated that certain patient risk factors (access to excess medication) and clinician demographics (relationship status, religiosity) predicted perceived suicide risk; and moreover, clinicians' suicide risk assessment did not always align with the decision to hospitalize the patient. We discuss methods for standardizing clinicians' judgment of risk and minimizing error through debiasing strategies (cognitive forcing strategy).
... Suicide is a major public health concern. In the United States the suicide rate is 11 per 100 000 people, which translates to an average of 85 suicide deaths every day (Moscicki, 1999). The suicide rate in Canada is even higher standing at 14 per 100 000 ...
... Evenals pogingen om 'eenvoudige' zelfdoding en doding te voorspellen, is er een grote kans op valse positieven bij het voorspellen van doding gevolgd door een (bijna-)zelfdoding (Nock & Marzuk, 1999). Het merendeel van diegenen die in het 'stereotiepe' profiel passen, zal niet overgaan tot een doding-(bijna-)zelfdoding. Bovendien, zoals in dit artikel is beschreven, zijn de factoren omtrent kinderdoding gevolgd door (bijna-)zelfdoding multicausaal en multifactorieel. ...
Het doden van kinderen is een dramatische gebeurtenis. Deze dodingen krijgen een versterkt dramatisch karakter als de dader ook nog zichzelf doodt of een poging daartoe doet. In deze studie wordt onderzocht of kinderdoding gevolgd door een ernstige
poging tot zelfdoding een variatie op doding vormt, een variatie op zelfdoding vormt, of als een aparte categorie van dodelijk geweld moet worden beschouwd. Suïcidale ouders die hun kinderen doodden, verschillen in sociaaldemografische, individuele en daadgebonden karakteristieken van niet-suïcidale ouders die hun kind doodden, en van suïcidale ouders die hun kind(eren) niet doodden. Deze verschillen zijn zodanig, dat kinderdoding gevolgd door (een ernstige poging tot) zelfdoding als aparte groep kan worden beschouwd.
... In covering murder-suicides, be aware that the tragedy of the homicide can mask the suicidal aspect of the act. Feelings of depression and hopelessness present before the ho-micide and suicide are often the impetus for both (Nock & Marzuk, 1999;Rosenbaum, 1990). ...
Research continues to demonstrate that vulnerable youth are susceptible to the influence of reports and portrayals of suicide in the mass media. The evidence is stronger for the influence of reports in the news media than in fictional formats. However, several studies have found dramatic effects of televised portrayals that have led to increased rates of suicide and suicide attempts using the same methods displayed in the shows. Recent content analyses of newspapers and films in the United States reveal substantial opportunity for exposure to suicide, especially among young victims. One approach to reducing the harmful effects of media portrayals is to educate journalists and media programmers about ways to present suicide so that imitation will be minimized and help-seeking encouraged. Recently released recommendations for journalists are attached as an appendix. Similar initiatives with the entertainment industry would be highly desirable.
... In the United States, the suicide rate is 11 per 100,000 people, which translates to an average of 85 suicide deaths every day (Moscicki, 1999). The enormous scope of this issue can be further understood by considering the potential impact of suicide attempts in general. ...
The overlap between depression, hopelessness, and psychache constructs was investigated using 587 undergraduates. Analyses indicated three correlated dimensions; among these, psychache accounts for more variance in depression and hopelessness than these latter variables account for in psychache. All constructs demonstrated convergent validity, but psychache was associated with the widest range of suicide criteria. These findings support that psychache is a leading variable associated with suicide risk.
To determine the risk factors for suicide, 6,891 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated in a prospective study. Subsequent deaths for the sample were identified through the National Death Index. Forty-nine (1%) suicides were determined from death certificates obtained from state vital statistics offices. Specific psychological variables that could be modified by clinical intervention were measured using standardized scales. Univariate survival analyses revealed that the severity of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation were significant risk factors for eventual suicide. A multivariate survival analysis indicated that several modifiable variables were significant and unique risk factors for suicide, including suicide ideation, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and unemployment status.
The present study was conducted in District Swat, Pakistan with the sole aim to assessing the root cause of committing suicide i.e. mate selection and their impacts on left behind families. A sample size of 204 households were selected randomly through structured interview schedule. The collected data was further analyzed through descriptive (univaraite/ frequency and percentage) and inferential (cross tabulation and indexation through chi square test with amalgamation of multivariate analysis) statistics. At bivariate analysis through associational measure between dependent variable(effects of suicide) and independent variable (mate selection) findings, a significant association was found between effects of suicide and violence at home on women (P=0.021), infertility (p=0.001) and love marriage(p=0.022) is the major determinants towards committing suicide. Awareness pertaining to this important dys-functionalism in the institutional framework could easily be encountered provided media is vibrated through participation and endorsement from religious scholars, while highlighting religious values pertaining to gender, division of labor and integration of family in light of allocation of rules for either gender were put forwarded some of the recommendations in light of the present study.
Suicide has its own trends and path. An emotional set back may leads to suicide is seemed to happen instantly but it is not true, it takes times to complete .All most all of us have to experience death wishes but never reach to that point when said completed. Very few will reach to that point where assessed. This study has aim to decide the path by which completion occurs. Study has used the various discrete data of various studies freely available on internet. They were analyzed and arranged logically in sequence to set the path and trends. Conclusion: Everyone in their life at least has to wish to die but very few complete it. It progress in certain path as wish further strengthen by idea following celebrate self-harm may repeat or accidentally completed if not further proceeded to take attempt. It may be completed or rest as further are risk of suicide.
This represents one of several sections of "A Bibliography Related to Crime Scene Interpretation with Emphases in Geotaphonomic and Forensic Archaeological Field Techniques, Nineteenth Edition" (The complete bibliography is also included at ResearchGate.net.). This is the most recent edition of a bibliography containing resources for multiple areas of crime scene, and particularly outdoor crime scene, investigations. It replaces the prior edition and contains approximately 10,000 additional citations. As an ongoing project, additional references, as encountered, will be added to future editions.
The impact of one’s culture on daily activities is inescapable. That impact, whether conscious or not, must in some ways extend to the commission of crimes as well as victim reactions. The compiler witnessed this in the investigation of the abduction and murder of a young Bosnian girl who had resettled in the United States with more than 8,000 other refugees from the Balkan Wars of the early 1990s. The ease with which her neo-Nazi murderer was able to enter the homes of the Bosnian refugees, and ultimately kidnap this victim, was partly the result of the cultural experiences of the victimized families who feared law enforcement in their home country and so were reluctant to report the preadtor who introduced himself into their community as a health inspector. This category includes citations beyond those about death rituals and includes references about criminal psychology, cultural studies, and forensic psychiatry. A greater understanding of the psychological and cultural motivation subjects might have in committing crimes will impact approaches to searching for, and processing, evidence. One need not be a behavioral scientist or criminal profiler to realize that a subject diagnosed with paranoia might dispose of a victim in a manner different than a sociopath. An example of cultural influence in the selection of a victim’s disposal site is the case of Jeremiah James Bringsplenty. Accounts of this 1992 case included that of the abuse and murder of Jeremiah by family acquaintances who were babysitting the infant in his Clarksville, Tennessee home. Both the victim and the subjects were of Native American ancestry. The subjects left Tennessee for the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with plans to bury Jeremiah near relatives. Because of decomposition, however, they were forced to stop outside Lincoln, Nebraska to bury the remains. This section also contains references valuable for investigators interviewing subjects and witnesses. This category and “General and Cultural Anthropology of Death” overlap to some degree. The examples or accounts examined in the resources within this section involve a spectrum of physical traumas which might befall victims of homicide or suicide. For that reason, the reader/research should also look in Taphonomy-Trauma for related citations.
(3305 citations)
Neonaticide, infanticide, and filicide are painful problems that may confront any society. What is the history of these brutal behaviors? Who are the perpetrators? What are the motives? What are risk factors? Are these behaviors prevalent in contemporary times? What are prevention measures? Biblical texts were examined and verses which describe neonaticide are studied closely from a contemporary viewpoint. Infanticide and filicide are also examined.
Background:
Suicidal behavior comprises a diverse set of behaviors with significant differences among several behavioral categories. One noteworthy category includes individuals who have made serious suicide attempts, epidemiologically very similar to those completing suicide. This behavioral category is important, since interviewing survivors of a potentially lethal incident of self-harm enables a detailed investigation of the psychological process leading to the suicidal act.
Aim:
To achieve a consensus definition and operational criteria of serious suicide attempts.
Method:
We reviewed studies that included the term serious suicide attempt or related terms (e.g., highly lethal), with a focus on the variety of operational criteria employed across studies.
Results:
More than 60 papers addressing various types of serious suicide attempt were explored. We found a large variety of operational definitions, reflecting the lack of consensus regarding terminology and criteria related to the term.
Conclusion:
We undertook the challenge of developing an integrative and comprehensive set of criteria of serious suicide attempt and suggest a definition comprising three key dimensions: medical lethality, potential lethality of the method used, and severity of the objective circumstances of the suicide intent. Clinicians and researchers are strongly encouraged to consider using the term serious suicide attempt with its attendant components.
Background
Improving attitudes of personnel towards self‐injurious patients leads to better working alliance and contributes to better patient outcomes. Previous research into the improvement of these attitudes has recorded the need for specific training in evidence‐based assessment and treatment of self‐injurious patients.
Aim
The current study describes the attitudes towards self‐injurious patients among psychiatric personnel. The study also evaluates the effect of a structured clinical training program on psychiatric personnel's attitudes towards patients who self‐injure. It further examines whether age, education, frequency of self‐injurious patients contact, and work experience of the personnel are associated with the existing attitudes.
Methods
Psychiatric personnel (N = 50) attended a four‐day training program, presenting evidence‐based knowledge regarding self‐injury assessment and treatment, using group exercises and reflective learning principles. The personnel completed the Understanding Suicidal Patients Questionnaire (USP) anonymously PreTraining, on 17 January 2014, and PostTraining, on 20 June 2014. The mean differences as well as single USP items before and after the training were tested by unpaired t‐test. Two‐way ANOVA was used to test impact of background variables on the USP scores.
Results
The training program had statistically significant impact (P < 0·01) on the following individual items of the USP scale: Patients who have tried to commit suicide are usually treated well in my work unit (d = 1·02); A person who has made several suicide attempt is at greater risk of committing suicide (d = 0·64); Because the patients who have tried to commit suicide have emotional problems, they need the best possible treatment (d = 0·57). The results also suggested that the frequency of patient contact had impact on attitudes towards self‐injurious patients.
Las conductas suicidas son un problema de Salud Pública en Chile y en el mundo, dentro de ellas se incluyen el intento de suicidio y el suicidio. En este artículo se realizará una revisión general del problema en Chile, pero se centrará en la conducta clínica y de intervención en crisis.
Es necesario realizar un diagnóstico adecuado de la conducta suicida, el cual debe basarse en la evaluación de cinco aspectos principales, según el modelo sugerido por la Escuela de Medicina de Harvard, el cual es detallado en el presente artículo.
Finalmente, debemos tener presente que el eje central del enfrentamiento de un paciente evaluado por intento de suicidio es la intervención en crisis, la cual debe ser realizada por el primer médico que tenga contacto con el paciente.
The impact of one's culture on daily activities is inescapable. That impact, whether conscious or not, must in some ways extend to the commission of crimes as well as victim reactions. This category includes citations beyond those about death rituals and includes references about criminal psychology, cultural studies, and forensic psychiatry. A greater understanding of the psychological and cultural motivation subjects might have in committing crimes will impact approaches to searching for, and processing, evidence. One need not be a behavioral scientist or criminal profiler to realize that a subject diagnosed with paranoia might dispose of a victim in a manner different than a sociopath. An example of cultural influence in the selection of a victim's disposal site is the case of Jeremiah James Bringsplenty. Accounts of this 1992 case included that of the abuse and murder of Jeremiah by family acquaintances who were babysitting the infant in his Kentucky home. Both the victim and the subjects were of Native American ancestry. The subjects left Kentucky for the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with plans to bury Jeremiah near relatives. Because of decomposition, however, they were forced to stop outside Lincoln, Nebraska to bury the remains. This section also contains references valuable for investigators interviewing subjects and witnesses.
Purpose
– To empirically consider work and career as potential influences of suicide.
Design/methodology/approach
– In this qualitative study we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 individuals who were survivors (i.e. family members or intimates) of individuals who had committed suicide. Data was analyzed using a grounded theory methodology.
Findings
– This exploratory study used purposive self-determination as the theoretical framework for analyzing their life histories. Factors of purposive self-determination, including lack of purpose, feeling controlled, experiencing failure, and social exclusion all figured prominently but differentially according to life-stage. Distinct work and career themes for early-career, mid-career and late-career suicides emerged. Early-career suicides were attributed to educational or work-related contexts, leading to a sense of hopelessness. Mid-career suicides emphasized despair based in failure. Finally, an attempt to escape from challenges associated with transitioning roles in retirements emerged as a key theme in late-career suicides.
Originality/value
– Although suicide has been studied extensively from medical, psychopathological, sociological, anthropological, philosophical and religious perspectives, there is a dearth of research considering why certain individuals choose to end their own lives as a result of work and career related reasons. This study sought to contribute to our understanding of this under-researched phenomenon. Additionally, while extant careers theory and research has considered positive notions of career such as career success or careers as a calling, this work presents an alternate lens, the consideration of career failure and careers as a sentence.
Psychological illnesses such as depression not only affect the mental health of men but also have a resultant effect on men's physical and social health. Depression is a psychological illness or mental health disorder that is frequently undetected in men. Undetected and untreated depression in men equates to a silent killer that affects their physical, psychological, and social functioning. In the United States, an estimated 6 million men or 7% of the population experience depressive disorders in any 1-year period.1
Chronic physical illness is a significant risk factor for psychological symptoms, psychiatric disorder and suicide. Properly targeted cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can improve outcomes for people with chronic physical illnesses. This article looks at practical aspects of the use of CBT as part of the overall medical and psychiatric management of chronic physical illness.
With some prominent exceptions, much of the research designed to elucidate the nature, prevalence, and correlates of suicidal behavior has been conducted from an atheoretical perspective. Conversely, psychological theories to explain suicidal behavior are largely untested by rigorous experimental designs. We propose a cognitive model of suicidal behavior that is grounded in the empirical literature on cognitive and behavioral correlates of and risk factors for suicidal behavior. In addition, we demonstrate the manner in which the theoretical components are targeted in cognitive therapy for suicidal patients. We highlight aspects of the model with less empirical support, and we propose ways those constructs can be tested in future research.
Shneidman's (1993) model of psychache as the cause of suicide was evaluated in a 5-month longitudinal study of psychological pain and suicide ideation. Replicating across general (N = 683) and high-risk undergraduates (N = 262), psychache was significantly associated with suicide ideation, and change in psychache was significantly associated with change in suicide ideation. For general suicide ideation and suicide preparation, these significant results were maintained even when depression and hopelessness were statistically controlled. This research is a unique contribution being the first large-sample longitudinal study that evaluates and supports Shneidman's psychache causal model of suicidality in general and high-risk groups.
Background and objective
Suicide is a public health problem and it is increasing in Spain. The objective of this study is to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of suicide related outcomes (ideation, plan and attempt) using data from the ESEMeD-Spain project.
Subjects and method
This is a face-to-face household survey carried out in a probability representative sample of the adult general population of Spain. 5,473 subjects were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), developed by the World Mental Health Survey Initiative.
Results
Lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts was 4.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Risk of suicide related outcomes was significantly higher among women (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3-2.7), younger cohorts (OR = 21.3-86), and lower education levels (OR = 5.3-6.4). Having a mental disorder was associated to an increased risk in all diagnostic categories, but especially in major depressive episode (OR = 5.3-6.8). Risk of suicide attempt was higher during the first year since the onset of ideation (OR = 30.2), decreasing thereafter.
Conclusions
The prevalence of suicide related outcomes is low when compared with other countries.
Results
identified groups with higher risk (women, young, subjects with a mental disorder, psychiatric comorbidity and recent suicidal ideation) in which suicide prevention could show benefits.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.