‘‘If I had access to a gun, I think I would have used it instead’’: Motivations for method choice among sexual and gender minority adults who made a recent near-fatal suicide attempt

Purpose: We examined motivations for suicide attempt method choice among sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) adults who attempted suicide in the previous 18 months.

Methods: Individual semistructured interviews (N = 22) explored participants’ motivations.

Results: Five reasons influenced method choices: accessibility, perceived lethality, familiarity, not having access to a firearm, and concerns about pain and violence involved with other methods.

Conclusion: Methods of suicide attempt are critical for informing SGM suicide prevention efforts. Future research should investigate whether and how lethal means restriction efforts are implemented within the contexts in which SGM people live and obtain mental health care (e.g., SGM community centers).