Presentation Information
[O-6-01]From Distress to Despair: Towards understanding the Psychological Pathway to Suicide
*Rachel Gibbons (Royal College of Psychiatrists(UK))
Keywords:
suicide,suicide prevention,Bereavement,Trauma
Abstract
Despite significant advances in suicide prevention, current approaches often neglect the deep psychological factors that underpin suicide. This study highlights how difficulties in emotional processing, internal divisions within the self, and ambivalence between life and death contribute to the pathway to suicide, providing a novel framework for understanding and addressing suicide risk. Drawing on psychoanalytic research, case studies, narratives from survivors and bereaved individuals, mental health audits, police reports, and coroner's records, the study identifies key stages in the pathway to suicide. This psychodynamic perspective contributes to existing models, by looking inside the mind at internal conflicts and emotional processes. The findings advocate for interventions addressing ambivalence and internal splits, while also proposing support strategies for those bereaved, who often inherit complex grief and heightened risk. The research fills a profound gap in current thinking, offering a holistic approach to prevention and care that has been well-received within the field.
Reference:
Gibbons, R. (2024). Understanding the psychodynamics of the pathway to suicide. International Review of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2024.2351937
Despite significant advances in suicide prevention, current approaches often neglect the deep psychological factors that underpin suicide. This study highlights how difficulties in emotional processing, internal divisions within the self, and ambivalence between life and death contribute to the pathway to suicide, providing a novel framework for understanding and addressing suicide risk. Drawing on psychoanalytic research, case studies, narratives from survivors and bereaved individuals, mental health audits, police reports, and coroner's records, the study identifies key stages in the pathway to suicide. This psychodynamic perspective contributes to existing models, by looking inside the mind at internal conflicts and emotional processes. The findings advocate for interventions addressing ambivalence and internal splits, while also proposing support strategies for those bereaved, who often inherit complex grief and heightened risk. The research fills a profound gap in current thinking, offering a holistic approach to prevention and care that has been well-received within the field.
Reference:
Gibbons, R. (2024). Understanding the psychodynamics of the pathway to suicide. International Review of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2024.2351937