Citation

Klonsky ED, Dixon-Luinenburg T, May AM. World Psychiatry 2021; 20(3): 439-441.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, World Psychiatric Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/wps.20909

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicide remains a leading cause of death worldwide1. A key reason for limited progress is inadequate understanding about the transition from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts. This knowledge is important because the majority of instances of suicidal ideation do not lead to suicide attempts. A World Health Organization study found that approximately two-thirds of individuals with suicidal ideation never make a suicide attempt2, and a population-based study found that only 7% of individuals with suicidal ideation attempted suicide during the subsequent two years3.

Unfortunately, little is known about when or for whom ideation leads to attempts. For example, psychiatric disorders that predict suicidal ideation only weakly or negligibly predict progression from ideation to attempts2. Similarly, in meta-analytic data, variables such as depression and hopelessness are strong correlates of suicidal ideation, but are weakly or negligibly associated with attempts among ideators4. Currently, not even a single strong predictor of suicide attempts among ideators has been identified.

To advance suicide knowledge and prevention we must better understand the transition from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts. A response to this need may be provided by the ideation-to-action framework, which suggests that the development of suicidal ideation and the transition from suicide ideation to attempts are distinct processes with distinct predictors and explanations5. This framework has implications for suicide research, risk assessment, intervention, and theory.

Regarding research, the framework underscores the need for studies to identify variables that help predict and explain transition from ideation to attempts...

Language: en