Explores some of the possible distinctive traits of midlife suicides, which include: loss of spouse, years of heavy drinking, reaching the age of high depression risk, and occupational problems. Midlife suicides tend to be highest among white males, although female suicide rates peak in midlife. The paper concludes with a review of assessment and…

Suicide is analyzed as a motivation to escape from adversive self-awareness. The causal chain is traced from initial failures that are attributed internally because of a cognitively deconstructed state. (SLD)

Undergraduates (n=296) read a fictional vignette concerning a person diagnosed with either terminal cancer or AIDS, and for varying lengths of time. Student reactions indicated that a person with AIDS is associated with greater stigma than a person with another fatal disease, regardless of how long ago the diagnosis was made. (JPS)

Investigated high school students' (n=325) knowledge of suicidal peers. Found 68 percent of females and 42.5 percent of males knew peer who had committed or attempted suicide. Ninety-seven students reported having talked to a peer who was definitely considering suicide; of these, 63 percent talked to their peer, 24.7 percent told adults, and 12…

Reviewed 25 studies, involving total of 4,024 adolescents from 9 states, which used Adolescent Life Change Event Questionnaire. Findings included gender and age differences in number of events experienced and perceived stressfulness, and relationship between events experienced and suicidal ideation. (Author/NB)

Presents case study of suicidal woman diagnosed as catatonic schizophrenic in state mental hospital. Account reveals much about woman's life history, suicide career, problems of living, needs for help, and perceptions of relevant systems. Proposed model would use parts of patient's story for preventive intervention regarding suicidal behavior and…

Japanese suicide rates are higher in rural than urban areas. In 1979-81, higher suicide rates were associated with sparse population, stagnant economy, and overrepresentation of females and elderly in the population, reflecting loss of social integration during a period of national economic growth and industrialization. Contains 55 references. (SV)

Compared guilt experiences of parents (n=132) whose children (aged 1-36) died by suicide, accident, or chronic illness. Guilt was reported by 92 percent of suicide bereaved parents, 78 percent of accident bereaved parents, and 71 percent of chronic disease bereaved parents. Six sources of guilt (Death Causation, Illness-Related, Childrearing,…

Describes interventions with students perceived to be at high risk for imitative suicidal behavior in three secondary schools where there had been a completed suicide of a student. Discusses method used to gain access to the students and the form of intervention used, along with implications for the future evaluation of postvention techniques…

Administered Suicide Opinion Questionnaire to 100 medical students from Japan and 100 medical students from the United States (80 percent males, 20 percent females). Found significant differences on Right to Die, Normality, and Aggression scales between Japanese and U.S. students, and significant gender differences on Religion and Impulsivity…

Nonsuicidal college students (n=119) viewed suicide, violent, or neutral film. Measured perceptions of appropriateness of suicide and level of emotional arousal before and after films. Both suicide and violent film groups showed increases in arousal scores after films. Results suggest that arousal became linked to cognitions specific to film…

Presents rationale for therapy, from assessment through psychotherapy, with suicidal elderly patients. Describes process including attention to situational and family components, crisis intervention, general treatment principles, and application of these principles to individual, group, and family therapy. Emphasizes intensity and complexity of…

Examined depression among 97 adolescents with and without psychosomatic stress symptoms and explored relationship between psychosomatic stress symptoms and preoccupation with suicide. Found that occurrence of minor physical symptoms of stress, but not major psychosomatic disorders, was associated with depression. Physical symptoms were not…

Applies a 5-stage model of suicide causal theories to the ways in which 113 adolescents handled their suicidal impulses. Distinguished three types of resources that foster coping with such impulses: (1) general motivational resources; (2) general dimensions of ego development; and (3) commonsense theories as a specific interpretation of a concrete…

Examines the role of continuity of self-concept during changes faced by adolescents in insulating them against the risks of suicide, outlining five increasingly complex ways in which adolescents define themselves. Compares the continuity claims of suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents, finding that those considered at high risk for suicide lacked…