Citation

Crabb PB. J. Psychol. 2005; 139(3): 211-220.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University-Abington, PA 19001, USA. pbc1@psu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15945516

Abstract

In this study, the author examined the content of impulsive suicidal fantasies among U.S. undergraduates. Of 546 participants, 45.6% reported incidents in which they fantasized about killing themselves. Most fantasies (95%) included explicit references to suicide methods, and most of those fantasies (98%) involved human-made tools or materials (e.g., drugs, cutlery, firearms). The methods reported in most suicidal fantasies seem to have been suggested by the mass media. The findings suggest that suicidal thoughts do not occur without explicit and detailed information about suicide methods involving material culture.