Describing Suicidality: an Investigation of Qualitative SSF Responses

The current exploratory study examined qualitative written responses made by suicidal outpatients to 5 assessment prompts from the Suicide Status Form (SSF): psychological pain, press, perturbation, hopelessness, & self-hate. 2 different samples of suicidal outpatients, including suicidal college students & active duty U.S. Air Force personnel, provided a wide range of responses to the 5 SSF prompts. A general finding was that 66% of the 636 written responses could be categorized under 4 major headings: relational, role responsibilities, self, & unpleasant internal states. Implications are discussed. (31 refs)