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"Impulsive" suicide attempts: What do we really mean?

Alexis M May1, E David Klonsky1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia.

Personality Disorders
|December 15, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Suicide attempts are not always impulsive. This study found that indicators of attempt impulsivity, like preparation and contemplation time, are not strongly linked to trait impulsivity or attempt lethality.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Suicide attempts are often perceived as impulsive.
  • A clear definition and understanding of
  • impulsive
  • suicide attempts are lacking in clinical consensus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the characteristics of impulsive suicide attempts.
  • To examine the relationship between attempt impulsivity indicators, trait impulsivity, and attempt characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized validated interviews and questionnaires.
  • Assessed 205 adult participants with a history of suicide attempts.
  • Examined three indicators of attempt impulsivity: preparation, contemplation time, and self-reported motivation.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Attempt impulsivity indicators showed moderate correlations with each other but not with trait impulsivity or attempt characteristics like lethality.
  • Lower intent to die was associated with more impulsive attempts.
  • Self-reported impulsivity in attempts correlated with trait impulsivity facets.

Conclusions:

  • The concept of a unidimensional impulsive suicide attempt may be inaccurate.
  • Emphasis on general impulsivity in suicide prevention guidelines may need adjustment.
  • Findings have implications for suicide risk assessment and prevention strategies.