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Cited by 13Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseGrief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Rethinking suicides as mental accidents: towards a new paradigm

Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta, Hepp, Urs, Seifritz, Erich, Bopp, Matthias·2019·Journal of Affective Disorders
DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.022
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Abstract

Background Since its beginnings, suicide research has made great progress in terms of empirical findings. However, in contrast to empirical knowledge, the theoretical understanding of suicides has shown only minimal progress. Missing interdisciplinary bridges and the lack of a unifying paradigm have been major obstacles. This paper examines the starting points for a rethink.Methods In the first step, we identified major challenges in suicide research, which have been obstructing a better understanding. In the second step, we determined a new concept of suicide that is highly compatible with epidemiological results and meets the requirements of interdisciplinary usability. In the third step, the implications of this paradigm were explored by relating it to two process typologies, the one characterizing the temporal dynamics of suicide processes, and the other representing risk mechanisms / factors occurring at different stages of suicide processes.Results Since suicides are rare events and often appear to be "rash acts", they can be conceived of as mental accidents or, more precisely, as failures to withstand temporary suicide impulses. This paradigm is suitable for synchronously implementing different personal, psychopathological, societal and situational perspectives. It applies to a high proportion of suicides and works well when being exposed to different typologies of suicide processes.Conclusions The mental accident paradigm provides an interdisciplinary starting point in suicidology that offers new perspectives in research, prediction and prevention.

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  • Whether and when suicidal individuals enter the transition phase cannot be predicted.

    “Whether and when suicidal individuals enter the transition phase cannot be predicted; some authors speak of a “mental accident” in which behavioral control over suicidal impulses (suddenly) fails (56), others speak of coincidence (57) and within dynamic systems approaches (29) the term tipping points is used to characterize the sudden shift into a state of acute suicidality.”

    From Ambivalence model of suicidality [ABS-model]: an orientation model for the treatment of suicidal individuals (2024) · cites this paper as [56]

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Authors
Ajdacic-Gross, V., Hepp, U., Seifritz, E., & Bopp, M.
Affiliations
  • Integrierte Psychiatrie Winterthur (CH)
  • University of Zurich (CH)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-06
Volume
252
Pages
141-151
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.022
OpenAlex
W2936020405
Cited by
13
References
91
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7
FWCI
0.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
Keywords
suicide, suicide theory, suicide risk factors, suicide prevention, suicide risk prediction
MeSH terms
Suicide Prevention, Humans, Psychological Theory, Risk Factors, Suicide, Time Factors

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