Interviewing Suicide “Decedents”: a Fourth Strategy for Risk Factor Assessment

This article discusses an innovative case-control study of attempted suicide which began in 1990 in Houston, Texas. A brief literature review germane to this study is included. The author asserts that this study is unique in that it attempts to assess attempters who survived only by a small margin. It is noted that research involving these ‘virtual’ suicide victims is likely to provide more valid data than research based on other strategies. The implications of this study & the papers based upon it are presented. (15 refs) (SC)