Psychological vulnerability to completed suicide: a review of empirical studies.
Retrospective research shows that close to 90 percent of suicides have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder; however, only a small proportion of individuals with psychopathology take their own lives. This article reviews the empirical literature on psychological vulnerability to completed suicide. A search of the MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases yielded 46 cohort or case-control studies that used standardized or structured assessments of psychological dimensions. Five constructs have been consistently associated with completed suicide: impulsivity/aggression, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and self-consciousness/social disengagement. Current knowledge of psychological vulnerability to completed suicide could inform social and neurobiological research, and thereby deepen understanding of suicide while potentially bridging these areas of study.
Conner
K R
KR
Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY 14642, USA. Kenneth_Conner@urmc.rochester.edu
Duberstein
P R
PR
Conwell
Y
Y
Seidlitz
L
L
Caine
E D
ED
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005060:Europe; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States