Citation

Maltsberger JT, Hendin H, Haas AP, Lipschitz A. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2003; 33(2): 111-119.

Affiliation

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , New York, NY 10028, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12882413

Abstract

Data from therapists who were treating patients when they killed themselves were used to provide information about precipitating events that was missing from accounts obtained from suicide victims' relatives and friends. Among 26 patient suicides studied, the therapists identified a precipitating event in 25 cases; in 19 of these, supporting evidence linked the identified event to the suicide. A schema was developed that identifies nine types of evidence provided by therapists in determining that an event precipitated the suicide. Use of the schema is likely to improve accurate identification of events that precipitate patient suicides, and distinguish them from unrelated coterminous events or suicide risk factors.