title: Suicide fantasy as a life-sustaining recourse.
abstract: The suicide literature tends to lump all suicidal ideation together, thereby implying that it is all functionally equivalent. However obvious the claim that suicidal ideation is usually a prelude to suicidal action, some suicidal daydreaming tends to inhibit suicidal action. How are we to distinguish between those daydreams that augur an impending attempt from those that help patients calm down?
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA. maltsb33@verizon.net
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Maltsberger
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ronningstam
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schechter
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goldblatt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult