Describing and Measuring the Pathway to Suicide Attempts: A Preliminary Study |
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| Authors: | Alexander J. Millner PhD Michael D. Lee BS Matthew K. Nock PhD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA;2. Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA |
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| Abstract: | To die by suicide, one must think about suicide, make a plan, and then carry it out. Prior research has examined the presence and predictors of these outcomes; however, virtually no studies have characterized how these steps unfold along the pathway to suicide. A novel instrument was administered to 30 recent suicide attempters. Results revealed that although the median onset for suicidal ideation occurs 1 to 5 years prior to attempting, the median for 6 of the 10 steps measured was within 6 hours of attempting. Overall, 86.5% of proximal planning steps took place within 1 week of attempting and 66.6% occurred within 12 hours. |
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