Psychoanalytic theories of suicide

Abstract Psychoanalytic theories and studies have infl uenced the explorations of suicide over the past hundred years. Freud’s fi rst observations of self-objectifi cation in melancholic depression were followed by contributions from object relation theorists and self-psychologists, highlighting foremost the role of narcissistic rage and structural vulnerability. Several of the central clinical concepts that unfolded have more recently been subject to empirical testing. This chapter provides an overview and discussion of the different psychoanalytic formulations applied to suicide. Empirical studies of several assumptions and constructs related to emotions, defences, and structural defi cits and vulnerabilities verify their association to or explanation of chronic and acute suicidality. Further conceptualizations and research, especially on subtypes of suicide and individual experiences leading up to and dominating suicidal states, are called for.