Relationship Between Hopelessness and Ultimate Suicide: a Replication with Psychiatric Outpatients

A prospective study of 1958 outpatients found that hopelessness, as measured by the Beck Hopelessness Scale, was significantly related to eventual suicide. A scale cutoff score of 9 or above identified 16 (94.2%) of the 17 patients who eventually committed suicide, thus replicating a previous study with hospitalized patients. The Beck Hopelessness Scale thus may be used as a sensitive indicator of suicide potential. (27 ref)