Suicide and Personality

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Suicide and Personality

Journal Title: Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry - Year 2009, Vol 1, Issue 1

Abstract

Many factors play role in the emergence of suicidal behavior has been accepted. Familial tendency including some features of personality structure, hopelessness, affective disorder, and suicide behavior attracts attention. Personality disorders seem prevalent in individuals who attempt suicide successfully or not. Personality disorders and other psychiatric disorder comorbidity increase the risk of suicide have been reported. To present the relationship of suicide and personality is important for developing strategies in order to prevent suicide attempt. In this field, the data show variability according to structure of scales using the evaluation of personality, and its description, and classification during the research. For example, some authors used DSM criteria or ICD criteria, some of authors also investigated the temperament and character dimensions of personality. In researches designed according to diagnostic criteria; B group personality disorders, such as antisocial and borderline personality disorders, has been emerged as a prominent diagnosis. According to the results of researches aiming to investigate the relationship among suicide attempt, temperament, and character features, character features of suicide attempter is described as low score of self directedness, cooperativeness, and high score of self transcendence. Temperament features has been described as high scores of harm avoidance, innovation, and reward addiction. Impulsive behavior tendency is reported as a common denominator of suicide tendency. Individuals, who have the congenital or acquired tendency of impulsivity, are forced in some periods of their life, and when they are in depressive disorder, that they have show more depressive, pessimistic, reactive, and more hopeless approaches may be suggested according to stress diathesis model. In aspect of suicide attempt, individual or familial suicide history may be trace for suicide tendency. Personality features affect education level, job, marital life, social and individual relationships etc. Features described as diathesis and environment together cause problem in these fields. If stressors are added to suicide tendency, self-mutilative behaviors may emerge. Temperament and character features cause individual suicide tendency has been suggested according to stress-diathesis model. Investigations, about relationship between suicide attempts and personality features, have been performed on different groups, and reached important results. However, we can only use psychological autopsy in completed suicide group, and this method contains some usability difficulty. Thus, these causes prevent data accumulation about relationships between suicide and personality. We should evaluate suicide behavior comprehensively in order to treat and to prevent. Personality features are important in order to choice of treatment method, for social arrangements, and foresight possible new attempts. Our knowledge, about relationship between personality and suicide, will be reached a better point by increasing researches related completed suicide suicide, personality, temperament, character

Authors and Affiliations

Mehmet Ak, Murat Gulsun, K. Nahit Ozmenler

Keywords

EP ID EP96865
DOI -
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