Interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior

To think about whether something can be prevented or not, we must first understand its meaning. Suicide is not equated with a death wish, but with a deep desire to leave a life that is considered difficult or impossible to bear.

Dr. Thomas Joiner, creator of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior, proposes through his investigations that an individual will not die by suicide unless he has the desire to die by suicide and possess the ability to carry out her wish, based on problems connecting with others the rest. Next we will see what this theory consists of.

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The interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior

The theoretical basis of this approach has three main components.

1. Frustrated sense of belonging

The first element of the theory is a frustrated sense of belonging; and it is that the evidence indicates that, when people die by suicide, most of them feel disconnected from others, giving rise to an idea and feeling on the part of individuals that they

no one really cares about them, and alternatively, it may reflect the feeling that while “some may care”, no one can relate to them and understand their situation.

Both sensations leave deep feelings of loneliness, the person feels isolated and clearly helpless, this idea contradicts a different reality many times since people who die by suicide are rarely, if ever, without others who care about them, but the automatic thoughts Dysfunctional people are capable of biasing individuals' perceptions of the world around them.

In addition, even if there are people who care about them, they cannot be related to their lived experience in the case of people who have gone through a trauma or experience unpleasant, so people may feel distanced from others who did not experience the same overwhelming events, regardless of how much knowledge others may have about it. said event.

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2. The perceived load

The second component is the perceived burden, which, like frustrated belonging, generally is driven by distorted automatic thoughts; and it is these two components that make up the “suicide desire”.

People who experience elevations in this variable feel that they are not making valuable contributions to the world around them. They can be flooded with thoughts of worthlessness and worthlessness, consequently they become sure of that the lives of others would be better if they disappeared or it would make no difference to their existence own.

Once again, such beliefs, if not true, are a common cognitive tendency on the part of individuals after experiencing particular types of events. Losing a job, missing out on a promotion, going into retirement, and failing an exam are several examples of types of experiences that can generate a sense of distress. In the case of thoughts intervened by comments followed by constant emotional abuse, they only come to reaffirm the constant self-disqualification that an individual already possesses.

3. The acquired capacity

The third element, the acquired capacity, revalidates the process that occurs when the brain centers responsible for motivation and learning interact and mood changes the perceived intensity from pain. This is how physical pain becomes less pronounced over time as the body gets used to the experience.

In this way, people who self-injure develop courage in the face of pain and injury, and according to the theory, they acquire this preparation through a process of repeatedly experiencing painful events. These experiences often include previous self-harm, but can also include other experiences, such as repeated accidental injuries; numerous physical fights; and occupations such as a medic or front-line soldier in which exposure to pain and injury, either directly or indirectly, have become commonplace.

Any attempt to die should be considered a serious act, because many people repeat their actions. People who will do anything to ensure their intent to die is seen. It is their own indirect way of asking for help, the situation they are experiencing is causing great anguish, and what they are asking for is to be saved.

So can the theory prevent suicide?

The interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior emphasizes the importance of specialists knowing the levels of belonging, perceived burden and acquired capacity of their patients (especially if there is a history of previous suicidal attempts), since this knowledge can help in the task of assessing suicide risk and in the therapeutic process, the intervention requires knowing these variables and being able to addressing these cognitive distortions in time are capable of turning around the cognitions that affect.

Some techniques to use are cognitive restructuring Proposed by Aaron T. Beck; This tool is recognized worldwide as very effective in eliminating/treating anxiety, depression and stress. The idea is to address cognitive patterns, dysfunctional beliefs to try to modify or weaken them.