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Seriousness of Suicide Attempt in Relation to Personality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

D. J. Pallis  and
J. Birtchnell
D. J. Pallis
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Clinical Psychiatry Unit, Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 4PQ
J. Birtchnell
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Clinical Psychiatry Unit, Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 4PQ
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Summary

From a sample of psychiatric referrals who had completed the MMPI the following three groups, matched for age and sex, were derived: 42 patients with a history of a serious suicide attempt, 42 patients with a history of a non-serious attempt, and 126 patients who had neither attempted nor contemplated suicide. Non-serious suicide attempters were shown to be the most deviant group and differed to a significant extent from each of the other two groups on the Dependency, Hostility and Unconventionality scales. Male non-serious attempters showed the most disturbed personality profile. This implies that there is, for males, a higher personality threshold for making a non-serious attempt, which may account for the fact that suicide attempts, most of which are non-serious, are commoner among females.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 130 , Issue 3 , March 1977 , pp. 253 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1977 

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