When the pain becomes unbearable: case-control study of mental pain characteristics among medically serious suicide attempters

Résumé

textbfOBJECTIVES: The unbearable mental pain experience is recognized as a key antecedent of suicidal behavior. We aimed to examine the precise nature of the mental pain among medically serious suicide attempters (MSSAs), a population closely resembling those who died by suicide. textbfMETHODS: We evaluated various factors of mental pain from the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale, as well as medical lethality and suicide intent. textbfRESULTS: MSSAs were higher than non-MSSAs and psychiatric controls for Irreversibility of pain. Moreover, Emptiness predicted medical lethality, while Cognitive Confusion negatively predicted suicide intent level, controlling for hopelessness and depression. textbfCONCLUSION: high sense of Irreversibility of pain as well as high Emptiness and low Cognitive Confusion are important risk factors for more severe suicidal behavior. Implications for identification of at-risk groups for suicide as well as for suicide prevention and treatment of suicidal individuals are discussed. GENRE HOMME FEMME TENTATIVE DANGEROSITÉ DÉTRESSE-PSYCHOLOGIQUE SOUFFRANCE-PSYCHOLOGIQUE