Pathways to High-Lethality Suicide Attempts in Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder

This study developed & tested a model of high-lethality suicide attempts in individuals with borderline personality disorder. An increased number of prior suicide attempts, substance use immediately prior to the attempt, & objective planning were proposed to lead directly to a high-lethality suicide attempt, while aggression & impulsivity were hypothesized to lead indirectly to a high-lethality suicide attempt through their associations with prior attempts. Path analysis revealed a revised model in which impulsivity was found to be significantly associated with both the lethality of the most recent attempt & the number of prior attempts. (112 refs.) JA