Common beliefs about suicide were not strongly supported by the study.
People were less likely to mention the following reasons:
- Financial problems,
- as a cry for help,
- or to solve some kind of practical problem.
Professor David Klonsky, study co-author, said:
"It may be surprising to some, but focusing on motivations is a new approach in the field of suicide research โ and urgently needed.The conclusions come from a survey of 120 people who had attempted suicide in the previous three years.
Until now, the focus has been largely on the types of people attempting suicide โ their demographics, their genetics โ without actually exploring the motivations.
Ours is the first work to do this in a comprehensive and systematic way."
Hopelessness and emotional pain emerged as the biggest reasons.
However, there were a wide array of motivation for suicide attempts.
After the main two, which were mentioned by two-thirds of respondents, trying to escape and avoiding burdening others, were also frequently mentioned.
Feeling a low sense of belonging and feeling fearless were also mentioned by some participants.
The researchers used the survey to develop a measure that helps evaluate why people attempt suicide.
Professor Klonsky said:
"Knowing why someone attempted suicide is crucial โ it tells us how to best help them recover.The study was published in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (May & Klonsky., 2013).
This new tool will help us to move beyond the current "one-size-fits-all" approach to suicide prevention, which is essential.
Different motivations require different treatments and interventions."
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