Here, we propose the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide to explain heretofore unexplained facts about suicide and to increase our understanding of the etiology of suicide. Thus, another explanation for the relatively low number of empirical advances in understanding the causes and correlates of suicide, as well as methods for suicide prevention, may therefore be the absence of a theory that can comprehensively explain known facts about suicide, as well as reliably and precisely identify risk for future occurrences of suicidal behavior. In particular, few studies have considered integrative models that address interplay between dynamic systems within the individual and between individuals and their environments” (p. Prinstein (2008) notes, “few theoretical models have been offered to help understand self-injury in the manner that other manifestations of psychopathology have been examined. Finally, individuals who die by suicide are not available for psychological assessments, thus limiting methods researchers can employ.Īnother explanation may lie with the status of theory in the suicide literature. Second, individuals with suicidal behaviors are often excluded from clinical trials due to safety concerns on the part of researchers ( Rudd, Joiner, & Rajab, 2001). First, very large samples are needed because the base rates of suicide attempts and deaths are low in the general population ( Moscicki, 2001). One answer may be that suicidal behavior is difficult to study (for a discussion of this issue, see Prinstein, 2008). Why is the state of knowledge for such a devastating psychological phenomenon relatively lacking?
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Only two interventions have been shown to prevent deaths by suicide ( Fleischmann, Bertolote, Wasserman, De Leo, Bolhari, Botega, et al., 2008 Motto & Bostrom, 2001) and only one form of psychotherapy has been shown to prevent suicide attempts in more than one clinical trial ( Linehan, Comtois, Murray, Brown, Gallop, Heard, et al., 2006). In the current paper, the theory’s hypotheses are more precisely delineated than in previous presentations ( Joiner, 2005), with the aim of inviting scientific inquiry and potential falsification of the theory’s hypotheses.Īpproximately one million individuals worldwide died by suicide in 2000, and estimates suggest that 10 to 20 times more individuals attempted suicide ( World Health Organization, 2008). According to the theory, the capability for suicidal behavior emerges, via habituation and opponent processes, in response to repeated exposure to physically painful and/or fear-inducing experiences.
We propose that the most dangerous form of suicidal desire is caused by the simultaneous presence of two interpersonal constructs-thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness (and hopelessness about these states)-and further, that the capability to engage in suicidal behavior is separate from the desire to engage in suicidal behavior. The current paper presents the Interpersonal Theory of Suicidal Behavior. This relative lack of empirical attention may be due in part to a relative absence of theory development regarding suicidal behavior. Suicidal behavior is a major problem worldwide and at the same time has received relatively little empirical attention.
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