A predictive approach to suicide notes of young and old people from Freud's formulations with regard to suicide.

Abstract

This study on suicide notes of young and old people involved the deduction of 25 protocol sentences that reflected important specific aspects of S. Freud's formulations with regard to suicide. Independent judges noted the incidence of contents that correspond to the protocol sentences in 52 notes. Comparisons between the suicide notes revealed that the protocol sentences discriminated significantly as a set in favor of the notes of young people. Specific sentences that were found more frequently in the notes of young people indicated being more self-critical, being more harsh toward oneself, perceiving oneself as having little worth, and treating oneself as an object. Implications are discussed.