[Dynamic of ideation and preparatory behavior in the suicidal act: concerning a standardised and qualitative...

Suicidal risk factors are nowadays well known. We often detect many of these risk factors in clinical situations, but their interaction and their writing in the suicidal sequence are still largely unrecognized. Building on narratives from suicidal patients, the authors propose a method for investigating the upstream components of suicide in an attempt to understand how the risk factors and the state of the person interact and converge on the suicidal action better. The interview is divided into the following four sections. (1)The patient is invited to mentally go back to the hours immediately preceding the suicide attempts and reconstruct the sequence of thoughts, feelings and doings of the day. Here, we explore the dynamic progression of his cognitions, emotions, actions and state of consciousness. We also note the social affective context of the suicidal act. (2) Proceeding backwards into the memory, the patient is invited to retrieve all foreshadowing elements, situating them on two axes: behavioural planning, that is, effective or contemplated actions in relation to suicide (stocking drugs, seeking information about substance toxicity, weapon training, etc.). (3) The second axis focuses on the phenomenology of the suicidal ideation, that is, intensity, frequency, proximity/availability of suicidal ideation, etc. These are assessed by means of an analogical rule. Finally, the current attempt is situated in the context of the suicidal history of the patient: previous attempts, severity, operative mode, etc. Our clinical experience using this semi-structured interview has shown that the method gives an insight into the unique combination of factors leading to the suicidal act in a given person and permits to understand and foresee relapses better. A new model of suicide is emerging from our data, suggesting the importance of the preparatory phase, which combines a progressive non-conscious learning of the gestures to accomplish, rumination of suicidal ideations and alteration of consciousness and the sense of self. The method is illustrated through an example. The necessity to further test this interview method is called for.