Attempted Suicide as Language: An Empirical Study

It is proposed that the concept of 'attempted suicide' as a form of communication leads to the hypothesis that suicidal attempts should occur in socially-linked groups of individuals with a frequency greater than would be expected from a sample of the general population matched for those demographic factors known to influence rates of attempted suicide.

Abstract

It is widely accepted by clinicians that many so-called suicidal attempts' function as a form of communication between the patient and the key figures in his environment, most often conveying an appeal for attention (Stengel et al., 1959, Farberow and Shneidman 1961). Yet little rigorous research has been directed to the communicational aspect of attempted suicide, possibly because the concept of communication is itself complex and difficult to define operationally. One line of enquiry has been to examine the consequences of the act for the patient, his family, and friends (McCulloch 1965). The present study, on the other hand, focuses particularly on attempted suicide as a subcultural phenomenon.