دانلود رایگان مقاله مدل شناختی از رفتار خودکشی

Abstract

With some prominent exceptions, much of the research designed to elucidate the nature, prevalence, and correlates of suicidal behavior has been conducted from an atheoretical perspective. Conversely, psychological theories to explain suicidal behavior are largely untested by rigorous experimental designs. We propose a cognitive model of suicidal behavior that is grounded in the empirical literature on cognitive and behavioral correlates of and risk factors for suicidal behavior. In addition, we demonstrate the manner in which the theoretical components are targeted in cognitive therapy for suicidal patients. We highlight aspects of the model with less empirical support, and we propose ways those constructs can be tested in future research.

4. Conclusion and future directions

Our cognitive model of suicidal behavior was designed to (a) incorporate relevant constructs that have been demonstrated in the empirical literature to be associated with suicide ideation, attempts, and completions, and (b) differentiate between distal and proximal factors associated with suicidal crises, such that it provides a template for understanding long-standing vulnerabilities as well as the cognitive phenomena experienced by suicidal patients in crisis. This model should be viewed as a flexible heuristic in conceptualizing suicidal behavior in individual patients. Although we speculate that a greater number and severity of these variables increases the likelihood that a person will engage in a suicidal act (cf. Rudd, 2004), we regard each suicidal act as unique and acknowledge that any particular variable in our model will be more or less relevant to the suicidal crisis depending on the degree to which the person is currently experiencing psychiatric disturbance, the nature of the person’s current life stress, and other specific aspects of the crisis that are operative at that time (e.g., access to lethal means). Despite the fact that this model advances our understanding of suicidal behavior from a cognitive perspective, it would be premature to implicate the model in predicting suicidal behavior in any one person. A person’s standing on these factors should be considered with other characteristics of his or her disposition, personal and family history, and environment in conducting a suicide risk assessment and in determining risk