An attempt was made to evaluate the assumption that suicidal behavior in adolescents is linked to diminished problem-solving capacity. The WAIS Arithmetic Subtest and the Rokeach Map Reading Problems Test were administered to 13 suicidal, 13 psychiatric but nonsuicidal, and 13 normal adolescents. It was found that the suicidal group made significantly lower WAIS Arithmetic Subtest scores and failed the Rokeach Map Test Problems more often than the psychiatric and normal 5s. It was concluded that the assumption of diminished problem-solving capacity in suicidal adolescents is correct.

An attempt was made to investigate the hypothesis that psychiatric patients who commit suicide are more field dependent than non-suicidal psychiatric patients. Measures of field dependence were obtained from both groups (N = 84 in each group). It was found that suicide committers were more field dependent than non-suicidal patients.

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An attempt was made to further investigate the hypothesis that suicidal individuals perceive time as moving slower than do geriatric and normal patients. Behavioral type estimates of two short and two long time intervals were elicited from serious suicide attempters, geriatric patients and normal hospitalized subjects (N = 15 for each group). It was found that the suicidal Ss overestimated the length of the time intervals to a greater degree than did the other patients. The data suggested that the slowing down of time was more accelerated for the suicidal patients than for the other Ss (i.e., time estimations increased faster for the suicidal Ss as compared to the other groups as interval length increased).

No abstract