Original title: The integrated motivational–volitional model of suicidal behaviour
The model separates the path to suicidal thoughts from the path from thoughts to suicidal behaviour. It proposes that defeat and feeling trapped can drive suicidal thoughts. A separate group of factors, called volitional moderatorsFactors proposed to affect whether suicidal thoughts lead to suicidal behaviour., may affect whether those thoughts become behaviour. These include access to means, exposure to suicidal behaviour, planning, impulsivity, mental imagery, past suicidal behaviour, and capability for suicideIn this model, fearlessness about death and increased tolerance of physical pain., which the abstract describes as fearlessness about death and greater tolerance of physical pain.
Imagine being stuck with a difficult problem at school. Feeling defeated and unable to escape it can make the problem feel overwhelming, but that feeling alone does not determine what you do next. In this paper, that first feeling maps to what may bring on suicidal thoughts, while a separate set of factors maps to what may shape whether thoughts turn into behaviour.
For clinicians and others trying to assess suicide risk, treating suicidal thoughts and attempts as one process may miss important differences. The model separates what may lead to suicidal ideation from factors that may influence its transition to suicidal behaviour.
The abstract presents a theoretical model and says the article describes empirical tests and future research directions, but gives no results from those tests. It does not establish how accurately the model predicts suicidal behaviour, or whether it improves prediction over existing approaches.
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The integrated motivational–volitional model of suicidal behaviour — Rory C. O’Connor, Olivia J Kirtley — Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences — doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0268
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.