Motives for suicide in suicide notes from women and men

Suicide notes written by 16 adult women and 16 men were evaluated by 16 nonprofessional adult judges with regard to love or work problems as suicide motives. Consistent with current theory on gender and suicidal behavior, women and men did not differ in love or work motives.     

Correlates of motives for suicide

Analysis of a large sample of suicide notes from 262 suicides in Australia showed separated/divorced suicides and suicides who abused alcohol were more likely to give love/romance as a precipitant for suicide while those who used gas (natural or car exhaust) were more likely to give depression and guilt as a motive.     

Motivations for preventing versus assisting suicide

The motivations of those seeking to prevent and assist suicide are conceptualized as defensive styles of repression versus sensitization adopted to deal with personal suicidal desires.     

Evidence-based practices project for suicide prevention

Suicide continues to be a serious public health problem. In response to this problem, a myriad of suicide prevention programs have been developed and employed across the United States. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of many of these programs is unknown because they have not been evaluated using rigorous methods. The Evidence-Based Practices Project (EBPP) for suicide prevention was created in 2002 to identify and promote evidence-based suicide prevention programs. In this paper the process and outcomes of the initial EBPP project within the context of the broader evidence-based movement are described, and the EBPPs creation of a best practice registry for suicide prevention is previewed.     

The epidemiology of suicide and attempted suicide

Since more than one century suicides have been registered in national statistics of death causes. They thus furnish one of the few parameters of psychiatrically relevant behaviour by means of which trends, cohort, age-group and period effects can be studied over longer periods. Since the second half of last century, the suicide rates for Swiss males--similar to those found in England and Wales--show a decrease in consecutive birth cohorts up to males born in the decade 1930-1940, and a continued decline in the total trend until about World War II. From then on the suicide rates of males in consecutive birth cohorts have been slowly increasing in the majority of European and North American countries--but not so in Sweden. Opposite to this, the predominantly low rates for females display little change. Further to the considerable differences between nations and the predominance of suicides committed by females in some Asian countries and Cuba, the changes indicate the significance of cultural and economic environmental factors. Typical period effects are mainly the result of changes in conception and conditions of life. In attempted suicide they proceed in a more sensitive and more rapid way and are about ten times higher. Such a period effect showing increases by about 300% in younger age-groups followed by a decline, attaining its peak about 1976, was ascertained in large cities of the Federal Republic of Germany. By the example of the effects of a television serial, the study of causal processes turning collective environmental factors into individual suicidal behaviour, proved that regularities are effective in learning by a process of modelling. Besides, the epidemiological data give essential hints how to treat suicidal behaviour.     

Helpline: suicide prevention at a suicide site

In an effort to reduce the number of suicides from the Mid-Hutson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, New York, the Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene and the New York State Bridge Authority jointly established a suicide prevention phone on the bridge, which is directly connected to a 24-hour psychiatric emergency service. This program is the first known one in which a dedicated suicide prevention helpline has been installed at a site of known suicides and linked with a mental health service. After 2 years of operation, the phone has been used 30 times; the data suggest that most would-be jumpers are ambivalent enough about dying that they will reach out for help/contact if the opportunity exists, and, as a consequence, can be saved.     

External versus internal attributions in suicide and their implications for crisis intervention and suicide prevention

The concept of belief of locus of control is explored for its relevance in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Although research into the association has produced inconsistent findings, the counselor has rich possibilities for intervention, especially if belief in locus of control is explored along with feelings of powerlessness and helplessness.     

Youth suicide

The literature on youth suicide (ages 15-24) is surveyed for the period 1980-1985. Emphasis is placed on general determinants of suicide, predictors in the form of psychological tests, precipitating events (immediate causes), and signs--clues that may signify impending attempts at self-destruction. Suggestions for prevention, and limitations of research on suicide are offered.     

Violent versus nonviolent methods for suicide.

Violent and nonviolent suicide rates in the American states in 1980 showed different social correlates, but both patterns were different from those for homicide rates.     

Regional associations of methods used for suicide

The pattern of associations between the suicide rates by various methods over the American states differed from that found over nations.     

Manipulated suicide

To accept a notion of rational suicide, as many contemporary bioethicists now urge, first makes possible certain kinds of manipulation into suicide which do not occur in suicide-impermissive societies. This paper describes the two principal mechanisms by which an individual can be manipulated into choosing to kill himself or herself, though that individual would not have done so otherwise, and identifies circumstantial and ideological changes in contemporary society which may be associated with such manipulation now and in the future. However, the author holds that this prospect is not grounds for rejecting the notion of rational suicide;it must be accepted on other moral grounds, but with a clear view of the risks it will bring.     

Restrictions in means for suicide: an effective tool in preventing suicide: the Danish experience

Restriction of means for suicide is an important part of suicide preventive strategies in different countries. The effect on method-specific suicide rate and overall suicide rate of restrictions on availability of carbon monoxide, barbiturates, and dextropropoxyphene was examined. From 1970 to 2000, overall suicide mortality and method-specific suicide mortality in Denmark were compared with official information about availability of barbiturates and analgesics and carbon monoxide in vehicle exhaust and household gas. Restrictions on availability of household gas with carbon monoxide content and barbiturates was associated with a decline in the number of suicides and suicides by self-poisoning with these compounds after controlling for the effect of calender year. Restricted access occurred concomittantly with a 55 percent decrease in suicide rate.