Psychache and suicidality in adult mood disordered outpatients in Brazil

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2003 Fall;33(3):242-8. doi: 10.1521/suli.33.3.242.23220.

Abstract

Shneidman (e.g., 1998) has theorized that psychache--general psychological and emotional pain that reaches intolerable intensity--is an important suicide-related variable, and indeed, represents a source of suicidal behavior. This conceptualization, while prominent and clinically and intuitively appealing, has received relatively little empirical scrutiny. In this study, we determined whether an index closely related to psychache, psychological quality of life, would display a special and resilient association to suicidality among 60 adult psychiatric outpatients in Brazil. All patients underwent structured clinical interviews and completed various clinical and quality-of-life measures. We found that the association between psychological quality of life and suicidality remained, even when depression, hopelessness, and other domains of quality of life were controlled. Psychache appears to deserve its place among key suicide-related variables, and deserves the attention of clinicians working with suicidal people.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Affective Symptoms / diagnosis
  • Affective Symptoms / epidemiology
  • Affective Symptoms / psychology*
  • Aged
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis
  • Anxiety Disorders / epidemiology
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
  • Bipolar Disorder / diagnosis
  • Bipolar Disorder / epidemiology
  • Bipolar Disorder / psychology*
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / epidemiology
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / psychology*
  • Dysthymic Disorder / diagnosis
  • Dysthymic Disorder / epidemiology
  • Dysthymic Disorder / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pain / epidemiology
  • Pain / psychology*
  • Panic Disorder / diagnosis
  • Panic Disorder / epidemiology
  • Panic Disorder / psychology
  • Phobic Disorders / diagnosis
  • Phobic Disorders / epidemiology
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology
  • Quality of Life / psychology