Citation

Levi Y, Horesh N, Fischel T, Treves I, Or E, Apter A. J. Affect. Disord. 2008; 111(2-3): 244-250.

Affiliation

The Feinberg Child Study Center, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2008.02.022

PMID

18436309

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study of near-fatal suicide attempters may provide insight into the minds of suicidal subjects. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that mental pain is a general risk factor for suicidal behavior and communication difficulties are a particular risk factor for medically serious suicidal behavior. METHODS: Thirty five subjects who made medically serious suicide attempts were compared with 67 medically not serious suicide attempters and 71 healthy controls. All were interviewed with the SCID-I and completed questionnaires covering mental pain, communication difficulties and seriousness of suicide attempt. RESULT: Variables from the mental pain domain (e.g. depression) predicted the presence of suicidal behavior, and variables from the communication difficulties domain (e.g., self-disclosure) predicted the lethality and seriousness of the suicide attempts. LIMITATIONS: Relatively small number of patients with medically serious suicide attempt and the relatively large number of questionnaires which may to some extent have diminished informant reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Problems with sharing of feelings with others are an important risk factor for near-lethal suicide, over and above the contribution of psychiatric illness and mental pain, including depression and hopelessness.

Language: en