Are closed-minded people more open to the idea of killing themselves?
Abstract
This article summarizes the author's work on Openness to Experience (a personality trait) and suicidal behavior. It appears that people who obtain low scores on an inventory measuring Openness to Experience are less likely to report suicidal ideation but more likely to take their own lives. How can this apparent discrepancy be reconciled? Based on the premise that the expression of suicidal ideation can have adaptive consequences (e.g., by mobilizing family and treatment providers), it is hypothesized that people with major depression who are low in Openness may be at increased risk for completed suicide in part because they are less likely to feel, or report feeling, suicidal.
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Duberstein and colleagues hypothesize that older adults low in Openness to Experience are at risk for suicide because they are less well equipped socially and psychologically to manage aging, and less likely to be recognized as distressed and needing intervention.
“Duberstein and colleagues hypothesize that older adults low in OTE are at risk for suicide because they are less well equipped socially and psychologically to manage the challenges of aging, and less likely to be recognized as being in distress and need of intervention (51)”
From Suicide in older adults (2011) · cites this paper as [51]
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- Authors
- Duberstein, P. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Duberstein, Paul R.
- ORCID
- Duberstein, Paul R.
- Venue
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2001-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 9-14
- ISSN
- 0363-0234 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-278X
- OpenAlex
- W2076258623
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 11 · 2019: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH54682, K07MH001135, R01MH5102, R01MH054682, K07-MH01135)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- openness to experience, personality traits, suicidal ideation, suicide mortality, major depressive disorder, suicide risk, Big Five personality traits
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Male, Personality Disorders, Risk Factors, Suicide
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