Suicide Attempters’ Reaction to Survival as a Risk Factor for Eventual Suicide

393 suicide attempters were categorized on the basis of their reaction to having survived their attempt (glad to be alive, ambivalent, wished they were dead. They were followed up for 5-10 years to determine whether they eventually died by suicide. A survival analysis found that subjects who said they wished they had died were 2.5 times more likely to have died by suicide than those who were glad to have survived & those who were ambivalent about the attempt. Suicide attempters’ reaction to surviving is an important clinical variable easily assessed in evaluations that occur following the attempt. (8 refs.)