An empirical study of the psychodynamics of suicide: a preliminary report

Preliminary results from a study of psychodynamic constructs are presented based on data from inpatients following a suicide attempt. The study examines the association between four psychodynamic constructs, severity of suicidal intent, and severity of depressive symptomatology in a sample of hospitalized suicide attempters. Higher levels of suicidal intent were associated with less differentiated self and object representations and less emotional investment in relationships. More severe depressive symptoms in suicide attempters were correlated with more self-targeted anger, less eternally directed anger, higher levels of shame and guilt, more affectively negative views of relationships, greater use of maladaptive and self-sacrificing defenses, and more impaired reality testing. These findings offer some preliminary empirical support for the validity of psychodynamic theories of suicidal behavior.