Content differences in suicide notes by gender and age: serendipitous findings

Suicide Notes: Their Utility in Understanding the Motivations Behind Suicide and Preventing Future Ones

Among the different research methods on suicide notes, the theoretical conceptual approach allows a particularly thorough understanding of the suicidal act. The present study focuses on 78 suicide notes collected in Geneva, Switzerland, between 2006 and 2014. The socio-demographic and medical data of the writers' notes were collected. The conceptual content of the notes was analyzed by two independent raters using the Leenaars method. The results showed that the concepts that appeared most frequently in the notes were: Inability to adjust, Rejection-aggression, Unbearable pain, and Ego. Very few differences were found in the conceptual content when stratified for age, gender, socio-economic status, or religion. This study confirms and complements the findings of similar studies on the content of suicide notes.

Late-life suicide: Insight on motives and contributors derived from suicide notes

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were: (i) to investigate the proportion of older people writing suicide notes in New Zealand; (ii) to compare the socio-demographic and clinical variables of older suicide note writers and non-note writers; and (iii) to perform a thematic analysis of the content of suicide notes.

METHODS

The Coronial Services provided records of all suicide cases aged 65 years and over (n=225) between July 2007 and December 2012. We were able to determine whether there was a suicide note written in 212 cases. The content of 39 coroners/medical examiners' excerpts and 5 suicide notes was available for thematic analysis using a general inductive approach.

FINDINGS

88 (41.5%) older people left a suicide note. Logistic regression showed that female gender (OR=2.8, 95% CI=1.4-5.7, p=0.005) and Caucasian ethnicity (OR=13.7, 95% CI=1.7-111.0, p=0.014) are significantly associated with older people writing suicide notes. 33.3% of those who left a suicide note gave health-related reasons for their suicide and a significant proportion (73.3%) of them had underlying medical conditions. Another common theme is around people leaving specific instructions and wishes.

CONCLUSIONS

Apart from gender and ethnicity, suicide note writers are similar to non-writers on broad socio-demographic and clinical factors. Suicide notes indicated free will in and reasons for their suicide and emotional/farewell messages to their loved ones. Many documented poor quality of life or physical illness but the progression of these factors to suicide in older people should be further researched.

The Evaluation of Suicide Letters in Turkey From a Cognitive Perspective

Background: Different methods are used to understand the suicidal mind. Suicide note analysis may be most direct way to do this. Aims: To study the content of suicide letters under forensic evaluation in terms of psychological and cognitive aspects. Methods: A total of 51 letters were referred to The Council of Forensic Medicine from different cities of Turkey and analyzed by a research group with ten members including forensic medicine specialists and psychiatrists. The Questionnaire of Content Analysis of Suicide Letters (The Q-CAS), developed by researchers, was used to analyze the cognitive and cultural themes of suicide letters. The cognitive distortions about the self, the world, and the future as well as cultural phenomena were evaluated including sociodemographic features. Results: Financial problems in males and relationship problems in females were the most frequent life events related to suicide. Hopelessness, weakness, loneliness – in decreasing order – were the most predominant cognitions and emotions. The total score of females were higher than that of males (p = .002). Conclusions: These negative cognitions should be taken into consideration when therapeutic interventions are planned on individuals with suicidal thoughts.

Suicide notes among Native Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos

Suicide is a significant health problem, yet many questions regarding suicide remain unanswered. One of the most frequently asked questions is related to motive: "Why did that person complete suicide?" We explored motivations for completing suicide, especially with regard to cultural differences, by analyzing suicide notes written by Native Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos in New Mexico. Five categories emerged describing motivation: feelings of (a) alienation, (b) failure or inadequacy, (c) being psychologically overwhelmed; (d) the desire to leave problems behind, and (e) reunification in an afterlife. The largest difference to emerge between ethnic groups was in the alienation category, which included more Hispanics and Native Americans than Anglos. The overall lack of differences in motivation among the ethnic groups suggests that commonalities in suicidal behavior outweigh the differences. Practical implications for research and practice are discussed, along with strengths and limitations of the study.

Computer Analysis of the Content of Suicide Notes from Men and Women

A text analysis of 47 suicide notes identified no reliable or psychologically meaningful differences by sex, age, or method used for suicide.

Love and achievement motives in women's and men's suicide notes

It is often assumed that women kill themselves because of love and men because of achievement problems. The authors evaluated the suicide notes of 56 U.S. adult women and men with regard to love and achievement motives. Love themes were significantly more common than achievement themes, independent of sex and age. This suggests that, at least for U.S. adults who leave suicide notes, relationship concerns may be a dominant component of the motivation for suicide.

Motives for suicide in suicide notes from women and men

Suicide notes written by 16 adult women and 16 men were evaluated by 16 nonprofessional adult judges with regard to love or work problems as suicide motives. Consistent with current theory on gender and suicidal behavior, women and men did not differ in love or work motives.

The content of suicide notes written by those using different methods for suicide

In a sample of 40 suicide notes from West Berlin, those using hanging seemed to be angrier and to blame others more than those using poisoning.