A COGNITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF ADOLESCENT SUICIDE

Suicide ultimately requires a decision. In this article, I review a nu mber of cognitive concepts-decision making, the development of a suici de schemata, covert rehearsal, cognitive rigidity, and time perspectiv e-and I propose a model suggesting that suicide can be understood as a n essentially cognitive act affected by these elements. The model high lights the importance of distortions of time perspective as a precurso r for suicidal behavior. I propose this model as an additional set of explanatory factors to those commonly in use, such as family and peer estrangement and life events.