Year: 1962 Source: Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, v.26, no.1, (1962), p.7-17 SIEC No: 19840729

The psychoanalytic literature on suicide is briefly surveyed. Suicidal acts (suicides & suicidal attempts) express the coexistence of the impulses springing from love and from hate. The majority function as alarm signals and appeals for help and thus reinforce the urge for self-preservation. Suicidal attempts should not be regarded as nothing but abortive suicides.