Chapter 3 - Predisposing Factors in Suicide Attempts: Life Stressors

Abstract

This chapter discusses the stressful life events that can trigger a suicidal act, only in individuals who already possess a vulnerability to suicide. The presence of stressful events may help explain when a suicidal crisis is likely to occur, but may not clarify why the individual acts in a suicidal manner. The individual as reflecting their loss, humiliation, shame, or failure may perceive the events that trigger a suicidal act. Thus, the stressful event itself serves as a trigger to push the individual toward suicidal behavior as a desperate attempt to cope with these intense emotional reactions. The risk of suicide increases after the onset of puberty, and the biological, psychological, and social changes associated with adolescence may increase the degree of stress experienced by most adolescents. Recent stressors in the individual's life often trigger suicidal acts. However, many stressors build up gradually over time. Whereas precipitants refer to those events that immediately precede a suicidal act, stressors refer to the events that occur weeks or months prior to the suicidal behavior. Thus, stressful life events should be evaluated as potential triggers for suicidal thoughts and suicidal acts. When evaluating stressful events, it is useful to examine the number of stressors, different types of events, the perceived controllability of the events, and temporal factors involved in the stress-suicide relationship.