The Relationship of Suicidal Intent to Repeated Attempts (Public Health Papers #35)

This study attempts to measure suicidal motivation & to predict suicidal behavior two years after a key attempt. A Suicide Intent Scale successfully predicted repetition in 6 of 7 patients who made a repeat attempt. An explanation is offered for repeated suicidal behavior in a patient with a seemingly minimal intent to die. The perils of retrospective assessment are enumerated & the relationship of intent to medical lethality is explored.