title: Staring Down Death.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lowered eye blink rate may be a clinically useful indicator of acute, imminent, and severe suicide risk. Diminished eye blink rates are often seen among individuals engaged in heightened concentration on a specific task that requires careful planning and attention. Indeed, overcoming one's biological instinct for survival through suicide necessitates premeditation and concentration; thus, a diminished eye blink rate may signal imminent suicidality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article aims to spur research and clinical inquiry into the role of eye blinks as an indicator of acute suicide risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature relevant to the potential connection between eye blink rate and suicidality was reviewed and synthesized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anecdotal, cognitive, neurological, and conceptual support for the relationship between decreased blink rate and suicide risk is outlined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given that eye blinks are a highly observable behavior, the potential clinical utility of using eye blink rate as a marker of suicide risk is immense. Research is warranted to explore the association between eye blink rate and acute suicide risk.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Joiner
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hom
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Megan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Ian H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: 2 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gary H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wynn
authors.affiliation: 3 Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Denver, CO, USA.|4 University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide
keywords: blink rate; eye blink; suicide