Collaborating to prevent suicide: A clinical-research perspective

It is argued that suicidality is essentially a relational phenomenon; the p resence or absence of certain key relationships paradoxically can be both s uicide causing and suicide preventive. The relational aspects of suicide ar e especially poignant in clinical work with suicidal patients. However, whe n suicidality is involved, there are a number of issues that can interfere with effective clinical practice. Fortunately a new paradigm has begun to e merge in contemporary clinical suicidology, which objectives suicidality an d emphasizes the phenomenology of suicidal states. Moreover, from an increa singly empirical perspective, this approach is creating new and better ways to effectively assess and treat suicidal conditions.