The Association Between Early Life Mental Representations and Suicidal Behavior

Overview

Journal Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychiatry

Date 1994 Jan 1

PMID 8174397

Authors

P V Trad

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The escalation of self-destructive acts among all age groups has motivated researchers to identify the factors that may contribute to suicidal behavior. Suicide has been attributed to numerous etiologic factors, including the presence of psychopathology (e.g., affective disorders), neuroendocrine dysregulation and genetic tendencies. Nevertheless, investigations have not identified the precise mechanism(s) by which self-destructive proclivities are generated. This paper proposes a developmental psychopathology model based on early life mental representations that would enable clinicians to chart an individual's susceptibility to suicide and to better anticipate when suicidal behavior could become activated.

References

Wade N . Suicide as a resolution of separation-individuation among adolescent girls. Adolescence. 1987; 22(85):169-77. View

de Wilde E, Kienhorst I, Diekstra R, Wolters W . The relationship between adolescent suicidal behavior and life events in childhood and adolescence. Am J Psychiatry. 1992; 149(1):45-51. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.149.1.45. View

Cicchetti D . The emergence of developmental psychopathology. Child Dev. 1984; 55(1):1-7. View

Strang S, Orlofsky J . Factors underlying suicidal ideation among college students: a test of Teicher and Jacobs' model. J Adolesc. 1990; 13(1):39-52. DOI: 10.1016/0140-1971(90)90040-e. View

Rao U, Weissman M, Martin J, Hammond R . Childhood depression and risk of suicide: a preliminary report of a longitudinal study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993; 32(1):21-7. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-199301000-00004. View

Main M, GOLDWYN R . Predicting rejection of her infant from mother's representation of her own experience: implications for the abused-abusing intergenerational cycle. Child Abuse Negl. 1984; 8(2):203-17. DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(84)90009-7. View

Goldney R . Parental representation in young women who attempt suicide. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1985; 72(3):230-2. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb02599.x. View

Hyman S, Fisher W, Mercugliano M, Cataldo M . Children with self-injurious behavior. Pediatrics. 1990; 85(3 Pt 2):437-41. View

Higley J, Mehlman P, Taub D, Higley S, Suomi S, Vickers J . Cerebrospinal fluid monoamine and adrenal correlates of aggression in free-ranging rhesus monkeys. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1992; 49(6):436-41. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1992.01820060016002. View

10.

Pokorny A . Prediction of suicide in psychiatric patients. Report of a prospective study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983; 40(3):249-57. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1983.01790030019002. View

11.

GREEN A . Self-destructive behavior in battered children. Am J Psychiatry. 1978; 135(5):579-82. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.135.5.579. View

12.

BERMAN A, King R . Life stress and symptomatology: determinants of suicidal behavior in children. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1982; 21(2):178-86. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-7138(09)60917-1. View

13.

Wasserman D, Cullberg J . Early separation and suicidal behaviour in the parental homes of 40 consecutive suicide attempters. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1989; 79(3):296-302. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1989.tb10261.x. View

14.

GRIFFIN J, Ricketts R, Williams D, Locke B, Altmeyer B, Stark M . A community survey of self-injurious behavior among developmentally disabled children and adolescents. Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1987; 38(9):959-63. DOI: 10.1176/ps.38.9.959. View

15.

Posener J, Lahaye A, Cheifetz P . Suicide notes in adolescence. Can J Psychiatry. 1989; 34(3):171-6. DOI: 10.1177/070674378903400302. View

16.

Fast I . Some relationships of infantile self-boundary development to depression. Int J Psychoanal. 1967; 48(2):259-66. View

17.

Steege M, Wacker D, Cigrand K, Berg W, Novak C, Reimers T . Use of negative reinforcement in the treatment of self-injurious behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1990; 23(4):459-67. PMC: 1286261. DOI: 10.1901/jaba.1990.23-459. View

18.

Sandler J, SANDLER A . On the development of object relationships and affects. Int J Psychoanal. 1978; 59(2-3):285-96. View

19.

Egeland B, Kalkoske M, Gottesman N, Erickson M . Preschool behavior problems: stability and factors accounting for change. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1990; 31(6):891-909. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1990.tb00832.x. View

20.

Armsden G, McCauley E, Greenberg M, Burke P, Mitchell J . Parent and peer attachment in early adolescent depression. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1990; 18(6):683-97. DOI: 10.1007/BF01342754. View