Medical records of 33 Alaska Native suicides were compared to medical records of a control group matched for age, sex, and race. The only significant differences between groups were higher rates of alcohol abuse and prior suicide attempts among the suicide group. Suicide rates for Alaska Natives were twice the national average during the study…

A study of Indian adolescent parasuicides (n=40) in South Africa found that they have high levels of hopelessness and psychiatric disturbance. Posttesting at six months revealed that treated subjects improved significantly on both attributes, and that untreated subjects showed no reduction in hopelessness although they improved on ratings of…

Four models of suicide prevention are presented and critiqued: the public health model, the operational model, the antecedent conditions model, and the injury control model. Essential ingredients for implementing effective preventive interventions are presented, as well as examples of practical preventive interventions. (JPS)

Focusing on emerging models of population-level risk reduction, the authors discuss the essential ingredients for successful suicide prevention programs: comprehensiveness, fidelity, and intensity. Issues of feasibility, access, and effectiveness are discussed. The authors argue for nesting suicide prevention programs within existing public health…

Describes training strategy designed to teach counseling students basic suicide risk assessment. Method focuses on components of suicide assessment including clinical interview, empirical evaluation, and consultation. Method emphasizes SAD PERSONS Scale, an acronym for the 10 literature-identified suicide risk factors to be investigated during…

Research review found that suicide rates of elderly showed similar regional social correlates as suicide rates of younger groups and that these rates could be explained using similar sociological theories. Time-series studies in United States indicated that impact of economic prosperity on suicide rate of elderly was beneficial, whereas impact on…

Describes age-related changes in central nervous system pertinent to biology of suicide. Reviews postmortem biological studies of brains of suicides and suicide attempters. As suicide attempts in elderly are characterized by violence, discusses biological studies of impulsive violence. Describes data on effect of degenerative diseases on serotonin…

Outlines literature on suicide notes of older adults. Presents author's own lifespan research related to elderly, which indicated that long-term instability was critical in understanding suicide in elderly; that indirect expressions were much less frequently observed in notes of elderly than in those of younger adults; and that older males often…

Explored environmental factors related to suicide in 463 long-term care facilities. Staff turnover, size, auspices, and per diem cost related to suicidal behavior and deaths from suicide. More suicides occurred in larger facilities and facilities with higher staff turnover. Religious or "other" facilities experienced more suicidal deaths than…

Tests thesis that degree of media influence is contingent on audience receptivity. Audience receptivity to suicide stories assumed high during Great Depression. Developed taxonomy of stories using classic imitation, social learning, and differential identification theories. Analysis of monthly data on suicides and publicized stories revealed…

Examined coping of adolescents (n=871) presented with hypothetical situation of friend with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and compared subjects with sample (n=472) responding to hypothetical situation of suicidal peer. Found more distress in girls for AIDS problem, more distress in boys for suicide problem. Adolescents were more…

American Association of Suicidology members (n=300) assessed vulnerability to suicide of four men (two of whom had committed suicide), recorded levels of confidence in their assessments, and provided information about themselves. Men who committed suicide were rated as less vulnerable to suicide than other two men and as less vulnerable than would…

Presents case of influential corporate executive who apparently killed himself and two others when faced with public exposure and perhaps imprisonment for illegal use of his corporate position to raise money for political and charitable causes he favored. Case is based on extensive psychological autopsy. (Author/NB)

Presents case of 29-year-old white male veteran, whose case illustrates need for coordination of inpatient and outpatient services for chronically suicidal patients to reduce risk during transition. Includes comments on case from Phillip Kleespies, Sarah Marshall, Teri Pokrajac, and Richard Amodio and from Mark Goldblatt. (NB)

A survey of 71 adolescents with behavioral/emotional disorders found significant differences between this group of adolescents and their nondisabled peers in the frequency of suicide ideation and suicide attempts but not in rationales. Similar differences were found between males and females in each group. (Author/JDD)