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Biomedical subjects

R H Seiden

Publications and source records attributed to R H Seiden.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Suicide and the continuum of self-destructive behavior.

Suicide and self-destructive behavior are strongly influenced by a negative thought process, referred to here as the "voice." The voice process represents a well-integrated pattern of thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs, antithetical to self and hostile toward others, that is at the core of a patient's self-limitations and self-defeating actions. The voice varies along a continuum of intensity ranging from mild self-criticism to angry self-attacks and even suicidal thoughts. Self-destructive behavior similarly exists on a continuum ranging from self-denial to accident proneness, drug abuse, alcoholism, and other self-defeating behaviors, culminating in actual bodily harm. The two processes, cognitive and behavioral, parallel each other, and suicide represents the acting out of the extreme end of the continuum. The authors provide a chart depicting the levels of increasing suicidal intent along the continuum. The chart identifies specific negative thoughts and injunctions typically reported by persons who attempt suicide, neurotic patients, and "normal" subjects. Understanding where an individual can be placed on the continuum of self-destructive thoughts and actions can assist clinicians in their diagnoses and help pinpoint those students who are more at risk for suicide.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Death in the West--a regional analysis of the youthful suicide rate.

A remarkable increase of youthful suicides over the past few years has caused the death rate for 15- to 24-year-old adolescents and young adults to rise while there has been a reduction in mortality for all other age groups. To analyze the geographic pattern of this youthful suicide epidemic, a national interstate analysis was done for the years 1964 through 1978. Results indicate a broad regional effect with high ratings of youthful suicide concentrated in the western United States, especially among states of the intermountain region. Statistical analysis shows a strong inverse relationship between youthful suicide and population density. Previous research in this area has usually related high population density (overcrowding) to social and behavioral pathology. The present research indicates, however, that low population density (undercrowding) can also have adverse effects. These undercrowding effects may occur because of social isolation, limited social services and loneliness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Mellowing with age: factors influencing the nonwhite suicide rate.

The age patterning of white and nonwhite suicide rates reveals a marked and consistent divergence: white suicide rates increase with age; however, nonwhite suicide rates peak in youthful years and decline during middle and older ages. Six explanatory hypotheses are proposed to account for the divergence: 1) differential life expectancy; 2) deviant burnout; 3) screening out of the violence-prone; 4) role and status of the elderly; 5) traditional values; and 6) age-specific motives. Discussion and analysis of the proposed hypotheses indicate that they do operate in the direction of reducing the suicide rates of elderly nonwhites, thereby contributing to the observed age discrepancy in white and nonwhite suicide rates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Shifting patterns of deadly violence.

To the casual observer, it would seem that the United States' suicide rate has been remarkably steady in recent years. However, this stability may be more apparent than real. While it is true that the total suicide rate has varied little, this composite figure masks a dramatic shift in the risk of suicide by age. In recent years there has been a reduction of suicide at older ages reciprocated by an unprecedented increase of suicide (and homicide) at younger ages. The extent of this change during the ten-year period 1966-75 is explored along with possible explanations for the increase of aggressive violet death among young people.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Where are they now? A follow-up study of suicide attempters from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge is currently the number one suicide location in the world. From the opening day, May 18, 1937 to April 1, 1978, there have been 625 officially reported suicide deaths and perhaps more than 200 others which have gone unseen and unreported. Proposals for the construction of a hardware antisuicide barrier have been challenged with the untested contention that "they'll just go someplace else." This research tests the contention by describing and evaluating the long-term mortality experience of the 515 persons who had attempted suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge but were restrained, from the opening day through the year 1971 plus a comparison group of 184 persons who made nonbridge suicide attempts during 1956--57 and were treated at the emergency room of a large metropolitan hospital and were also followed through the close of 1971. Results of the followup study are directed toward answering the important question: "Will a person who is prevented from suicide in one location inexorably tend to attempt and commit suicide elsewhere?"

Accidents↗