MMPI characteristics of drug abusers with and without histories of suicide attempts

Compared to drug addicts without histories of suicidal attempt (n = 50), drug addicts who have attempted suicide (n = 50) were characterized by higher levels of maladjustment--particularly in the areas of depression, feelings of alienation, and use of projection and externalization--and were more emotionally withdrawn. Certain Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) codetypes appeared in the attempt group that were not present in the no history group. Drug addicts with suicidal ideation but no history of attempt (n = 13) were not significantly different from the other two groups, and their inclusion as a comparison group masked the real differences between the other two groups. The MMPI results suggest it may be possible to identify a suicide attempt group in substance abusers but not when contrasted with a suicidal ideation group. Treatment implications are considered.     

Suicide attempts among juvenile delinquents; the contribution of mental health factors.

This study examined which, if any, of four variables (depression, hopelessness, conduct problems, substance abuse) differentiated suicide attemptors from nonattemptors among incarcerated juvenile delinquents. Fifty-one male youth served as subjects. The predictor variables were collected by either a standardized interview or an orally administered questionnaire. Youth self-report data regarding suicide attempts were collected. The results indicated that depression served as a predictor of suicide attempts but only in white, not black, youth. Suicide attempts also were reported three times more often in white than black participants. Implication, as well as limitations, of the findings are discussed.     

Suicide attempts by rock-climbing falls

The true intent of a suicidal act is sometimes masked by it appearing as an "accident". Two cases are reported that present a unique opportunity to study suicide attempts that took the form of rock-climbing "falls" and to study the two people who chose this way to die. Rock-climbing falls, occasionally speculated about as possible suicidal equivalents yet having no recognition as such in the literature, are illustrated as methods used by these impulsive, action-oriented and risk-taking people.     

Suicide attempts with drugs]

A sample of 352 subjects, who had made a suicide attempt by ingesting pills examined in the aspects of age and sex, number and origin of used tablets and combination of pill ingestion with alcohol or other methods. Younger people under 20, took nearly exclusively tablets, which they accidentally found at home. Elder patients over 50, used nearly exclusively prescribed drugs. The typical patients attitudes to this suicidal method gives us the right to speak about such suicide attempts as "attempts by tablets". The pharmacological substance is unimportant and plays a secondary role. The seriousness of suicide attempts depends on topical situation of person, biological and social factors; it does'nt dependent on number or pharmacological substance of tablets.     

Suicide attempts in runaway youths

This study explored suicidal behavior in 291 adolescents who were using runaway shelters in St. Louis. Thirty percent of the runaways reported having attempted suicide in the past. The suicide attempters had significantly more behavioral and mental health problems, and reported having more family members and more friends with problems, than nonattempters. A logistic regression showed that youths' substance use, behavior problems, family instability, and sex all helped to explain their suicide attempts. Most of the attempters made their first attempt by their midteens. One-quarter made their latest attempt shortly before entering the shelter, and one-fifth stated that they would still consider suicide. The great majority of attempts were not preplanned, but one-third followed troubles or arguments at home and feelings of confusion and depression. Remarkably, half of the teenage suicide attempters never received any professional help following their attempt.     

Suicide attempts among adolescent Mexican American students enrolled in special education classes

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among school-aged students between the ages of 15 and 19. There is an increasing frequency of suicide and other self-destructive behaviors among Mexican American youth and students in special education classrooms for emotional and behavioral disabilities. Recognizing Mexican American youth in special education classes as a separate risk group, this study (a) identifies factors that contribute to suicide, (b) reviews the signs and characteristics associated with these factors, (c) interviews Mexican American students in special education who have either exhibited various characteristics of suicidal thoughts and/or have attempted suicide, (d) explores effective prevention programs, and (e) provides suggestions for school personnel. Interviews with five adolescent Mexican American special education students support previous research findings that depression, substance abuse, social and interpersonal conflict, family distress, and school stress are primary characteristics related to suicidal minority youth.     

Suicide attempts and stressful life events among homeless people in Madrid (Spain)

The article describes a study carried out with a representative sample of homeless people in Madrid (Spain; N = 188). This study aims to corroborate the relationship identified in the literature between stressful life events and suicidal behaviour in a group in a situation of social exclusion, to assess the differences in the number and characteristics of stressful life events experienced by homeless people who are attempters and non‐attempters, and to identify which combination of stressful life events enables discrimination for suicide attempts among homeless people. The results show that 30% of homeless people in Madrid had attempted suicide, and 57.9% of them had done so for the first time when they were homeless. The interviewees are shown to have experienced a large amount of stressful life events, with substantially more stressors experienced by the homeless people who tried to commit suicide, during both their childhood and adolescence and throughout their life. Finally, we found that the combination of 7 stressful life events provided the best possible discrimination between homeless attempters and non‐attempters.     

Suicide attempts in twins whose co-twins' deaths were non-suicides

Familial similarity for suicidal behavior has been interpreted by psychosocially oriented researchers as reflecting extreme grief following loss. This view would anticipate a higher frequency of attempted suicide among bereaved MZ than DZ twins (regardless of cause of death), given their generally increased social closeness. Alternatively, support for a genetic influence on suicidal behavior has been provided by findings of greater concordance among monozygotic (MZ) than dizygotic (DZ) twins, and among biological than adoptive relatives. This approach predicts that the occurrence of suicidal attempts among bereaved MZ and DZ twins whose co-twins deaths were non-suicides should not differ and should be low in frequency, given an absence of predisposing genetic factors. Attempted suicide was compared in 166 MZ and 79 DZ twins whose co-twins' deaths were non-suicides. Suicidal attempts (during the first two months following the loss) were recalled by 3 MZ twins (1.8%) and by 3 DZ twins (3.7%), a difference that was not significant. The present study, together with previous twin and adoption studies, supports the view that concordance for suicide among family members reflects a common genetic predisposition to suicidal behavior.     

Suicide attempts and stressful life events among female victims of intimate partner violence living in poverty in Nicaragua

This article describes a study of 136 female intimate partner violence victims living in poverty in Nicaragua. The paper aimed to analyze the relationship between experiencing stressful life events (SLE) and perceived social support with suicide attempts, and to evaluate the differences in the SLE experienced by female suicide attempters versus non‐attempters. The results showed the existence of a high level of SLE among the interviewees, and that women who have attempted suicide have experienced substantially more of these events. Experiences of violence and less social support were especially related to suicide attempts among the interviewees.     

Sociological correlates of alienation among adolescent suicide attempts.

The purpose of this research is to assess the relationship between adolescent alienation and a number of sociological factors in a sample adolescent suicide attempts from a northern metropolitan area. First, Dean's alienation scale is employed and the distribution of responses of the adolescent suicide attempts are analyzed. Second a number of sociological variables are examined by means of multiple regression procedures. In the regression analysis, eight variables were found to be statistically significant-in descending order: social contact with peers in the neighborhood, conflict with parents, broken romance, economic status of parents, communication blockage with parents, school performance, stepparents, and broken romance, These variables have been salient in previous research and theorizing about adolescent suicidal behavior. The fact that adolescence, by itself, seems to be a good predictor of whether or not a person will attempt suicide strongly suggests that there is something about the condition of adolescence which underlies this type of behavior. One possibility is that biological maturation is itself the crucial variable. Alternatively, the argument which follows concentrates on a major sociological aspect of adolescence-the adolescent's relative alienation from institutionalized social life. Alienation may be endemic to the period of adolescence.     

Suicide attempts and ideation: adolescents evaluated on a pediatric ward

This study compared psychological, familial, and demographic data for 42 suicidal, 16 suicide ideation, and 42 control pediatric patients. Chaotic families and behavior problems, as well as depression, constriction, and lack of insight, differentiated the suicide attempt group from the control group. The suicide ideation group was similar to both the control and suicide attempt groups and seen as "intermediate" between these two. In assessing lethality of the attempt, constriction was the only predictor differentiating the serious from less serious suicide attempt.     

Suicide attempts and family history of suicide in three psychiatric populations

The influence of a family history of suicide on suicide attempt rate and characteristics in depression, schizophrenia, and opioid dependence was examined. One hundred sixty inpatients with unipolar depression, 160 inpatients with schizophrenia, and 160 opioid-dependent patients were interviewed. Overall, a family history of suicide was associated with a higher risk for suicide attempt, with high-lethality method, with repeated attempts, and with number of attempts, while the interaction between family history and diagnostic group was not significant. Thus, a positive family history of suicide was a risk factor for several suicide attempt characteristics independent of psychiatric diagnosis.     

Suicide among Attempted Suicides

ABSTRACT: A 10-year follow-up is presented of 484 patients who made serious suicide attempts. Of this group 23% had died, 9% from natural causes, 3% from accidents or from uncertain causes, and 11% from suicide. Suicide frequency is highest in the period immediately after the suicide attempt. Especially interesting is the distribution according to sex. During the first 5 years there is a preponderance of male suicides (which is in agreement with the findings of other investigators), but after 10 years this difference in sex disappears. Suicides are found especially among men from 50 to 60 years of age, disabled pensioners, and persons who have attempted suicide several times, and to a lesser degree among persons living alone and criminals.     

Suicide among eminent artists

To evaluate suicide risk by profession among eminent artists data from Garzanti's Encyclopedia, a broad biographical repertory, were used. Six categories in the visual and literary arts were compared: architects, painters, sculptors, writers, poets, and playwrights. Only people whose deaths occurred in the 1800s or 1900s were included since it is likely that underestimation of suicide has been lower in the more recent centuries. A total of 59 suicides were observed in a sample of 3,093 people: this corresponds to a ratio of 1.90%. Suicides were 51 among men (ratio 1.75%) and 8 among women (ratio 4.30%). The comparison by profession indicates that poets and writers exceed the mean suicide ratio of the sample. Painters and architects, conversely, have a clearly lower risk than the mean. Mean age of suicides was 44 yr. (SD = 12), with writers being slightly older (48 yr., SD = 12) than other artists. Artists who died of causes other than suicide reach a mean of 65 yr. (SD = 10). Suicide among artists seems to have a peculiar pattern, clearly different from the pattern of the general population, wherein suicide risk is higher among men and older people. Adverse financial circumstances and the stress attributed to rejection of personal products may contribute to the specific risk of suicide among artists. The link between mental disorders, such as manic-depression, which imply a higher risk of suicide, and creativeness is discussed as a contributing factor.     

Family therapy vs. parent groups: Effects on adolescent drug abusers

Abstract

The families of adolescent drug abuse clients who were admitted to six outpatient drug-free (OPDF) treatment programs were randomly assigned to either a family therapy method or a parent group method. It was later found that in 93% of the family therapy families, one or both parents participated (N=85); but that in only 67% of the families assigned to a parent group did one or both parents participate (N=50). This is considered to be an important practical advantage for family therapy. At follow-up evaluation 15 months later (after a 6-month course of treatment and a 9-month follow-up period), the clients and their mothers in both groups reported significant improvement on numerous outcome criteria, including reduction in substance use. There was no significant difference between the two groups in degree of improvement.