Suicide Notes in Adolescence

Abstract

Suicide rates for adolescents have shown a substantial increase over the past 30 years, but there is little information regarding the clinical status of adolescents who end their lives. In the adult literature, one avenue to understanding the psychologic condition immediately prior to the self-destructive act has been the study of suicide notes, and the present study constitutes the first systematic investigation of notes left by children or adolescents. Records of death were examined in the Office of the Coroner, City of Montreal, and all suicides between ages 10 and 20 were identified for the years 1978 to 1982. Seventeen individuals who left notes were identified, comprising 10% of the population of suicides. Suicides who left notes did not differ from the total group in age and sex distribution but were more likely to choose shooting as a method. The content of the notes was studied in terms of 11 variables which had proven characteristic of suicide notes in the adult literature, and the results were compared to those reported for adults. In general, our results support a psychoanalytic perspective which understands suicide as resulting from an ambivalent attachment to an object, loss of the object, internalization, and the direction of aggression against the self. Cases appeared to fall into two clusters. Older adolescents were more concrete, left specific instructions, did not address the note, did not give a reason for the act, and tended to choose intoxication as a method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Suicide notes: what do they tell us?

“…About 20% of the suicide population leave suicide notes. This figure is comparable to the range (10-30%) reported in the literature (2,(13)(14)(15)(17)(18)(19)(20). It is generally agreed that the official statistics for suicides underestimate its true prevalence in the community.…”

States of Self as Agents of Self-Killing: An Egogram-based Suicide Note Analysis Study in Russia

“…and younger), Freuchen & Grøholt (2013) found that the note writers emphasised that they were aware of what they were about to do, and left "an impression of control and of having thought things through;… they had also given away assets, done active preparations and … they had exhibited an altered behaviour prior to suicide" (p. 9). Interestingly, in some studies, the tendency of adolescents to give specific instructions increased with age (Posener, Lahaye & Cheifetz, 1989).…”

Leur mort, qu’est-ce que de jeunes suicidés veulent qu’elle produise ?

“…Plusieurs suicidologues et chercheurs se sont intéressés au contenu des lettres d'adieu afin de déterminer les causes du suicide et d'en identifier les facteurs de risque (Demirel et al, 2008 ;Handelman et al, 2007 ;Bhatia et al, 2006 ;ChavezHernandez et al, 2006 ;Girdar et al, 2004 ;Leenaars et al, 2003 ;Foster, 2003 ;McClelland et al, 2000 ;Brevard et al, 1990 ;Posener et al, 1989 ;Shneidman et al, 1957).…”

“…On y analyse des caracté-ristiques de leurs auteurs en comparant, à l'aide de variables démographiques et de théories explicatives du suicide, les personnes qui se sont suicidées en laissant des lettres d'adieu à celles qui n'en ont pas laissées (Demirel et al, 2008 ;Chavez-Hernandez et al, 2006 ;Girdhar et al, 2004), en tenant compte de leur groupe d'âge lorsque l'on compare les lettres d'adieu laissées par des personnes âgées (Salib, Cawley et Healy, 2002 ;Salib, El-Nimr et Yacoub, 2002) à celles laissées par des adolescents (Demirel et al, 2008 ;Posener et al, 1989), en identifiant les régions d'où proviennent leurs auteurs (Demirel et al, 2008 ;Chavez-Hernandez et al, 2006 ;Girdhar et al, 2004).…”

“…Parmi les principaux résultats de ces études, on mentionne la pertinence de la théorie psychanalytique (Posener et al, 1989) ou de celle de Menninger (Brevard et al, 1990) pour comprendre les suicides. On les justifie en termes de perte, de rejet, de maladie (Leenars et al, 1984).…”