Suicide attempts as social goal-directed systems of joint careers, projects, and actions

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2006 Dec;36(6):651-60. doi: 10.1521/suli.2006.36.6.651.

Abstract

In the present study we examined to what extent persons who attempt suicide describe their attempt in terms of social, joint processes. Psychotherapists interviewed 40 patients hospitalized in a general hospital for a few days after an attempted suicide. The content of the interviews was analyzed for the level of systemic processes the patients referred to (that is, action, project, and career). The most common processes to which the patients referred were relationship careers and projects and conflicts and argumentative actions. Our analysis indicates that a social process can be found at all levels of the patient's organization of the suicide attempt, within a system of goal-directed action, project, and career.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Female
  • Goals*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motivation*
  • Psychotherapy
  • Social Environment*
  • Suicide, Attempted / prevention & control
  • Suicide, Attempted / psychology*
  • Switzerland
  • Systems Theory*
  • Video Recording