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ROBERT E. LITMAN, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1964;11(3):282-285.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Certain aspects of self-destructive behavior can be understood as an appeal for help in an intolerable situation made to one or more potential rescuers.³ Often the response of the person who receives such a communication is crucial for life or death. When the responses are inadequate, what are the reasons?

The concept "suicide" comprises such a wide variety of complex social-psychological phenomena that most investigators have limited themselves to special aspects.

For example, Stengel emphasized the social effects of suicidal behavior.¹¹ Ordinarily suicide threats or attempts have a powerful social effect, tending automatically to induce or "release" rescuing activity from the environment. Indeed much of the rationale of a Suicide Prevention Center⁵ is provided by observations which indicate that potentially self-destructive persons are ambivalent about death. They communicate their suicidal preoccupation. Then others can give aid.

In a classical . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Southern California.

The Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center has been supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, US Public Health Service.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication Feb 29, 1964.

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