The psychological scars of suicide: Accounting for how risk for suicidal behavior is heightened by its past occurrence

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS

卷:99

Review

Liu, Richard T.¹ 

[1] Brown Univ, Dept Psychiat & Human Behav, Alpert Med Sch, Bradley Hosp, 1011 Vet Mem Pkwy, East Providence, RI 02915 USA

关键词: Differential activation hypothesis;    Interpersonal theory of suicide;    Risk factor;    Psychological scar;    Suicide;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.024

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Not only is suicidal behavior strongly predicted by its past occurrence, but the risk for recurrence appears to increase with each subsequent attempt. The current paper discusses a potential explanation for this phenomenon, that suicide attempts may leave a residual psychological scar that heightens risk for future attempts. This possibility is evaluated against two alternatives: (i) risk for first and subsequent suicide attempts is accounted for by a shared diathesis pre-existing the first lifetime attempt, and (ii) different rates of developmental decline in risk factors account for differences in prospective number of attempts. In this discussion, a formalized conceptual framework of psychological scarring is presented, along with considerations of particular relevance to its study. Finally, the clinical implications of determining the processes underlying the association between suicide attempts and heightened risk for recurrence are discussed.

【 授权许可】

Free