Page 11 - Intuition, Imagination and Innovation in Suicidology Conference. 12th Triple i | Virtual Conference | 25th–27th May 2021
P. 11
tal Pain in Suicidal Individuals 12th Triple i | Virtual Conference | 25th–27th May 2021
of the New Millennium
Maurizio Pompili
Prof. Maurizio Pompili, M.D., is Full Professor and Chair of Psychiatry as part of the
Faculty of Medicine and Psychology at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, where
he received his M.D. degree and completed his training in psychiatry (both sum-
ma cum laude). He is also the director of University Psychiatric Clinic, the direc-
tor of Suicide Prevention Center at Sant’Andrea Hospital in Rome. Prof. Maurizio
Pompili was also part of the Community at McLean Hospital – Harvard Medical
School, the USA, where he received a fellowship in Psychiatry. He is the recipient
of American Association of Suicidology’s 2008 Shneidman Award.
Abstract. Among the constructs used to describe the wish to die, a simple
but extraordinary model has proved, for its straightforwardness, to be use-
ful in describing the suicidal mind. Edwin Shneidman first posited that the
suicidal individual experiences unbearable psychological pain (psychache)
or suffering and that suicide might be, at least in part, an attempt to escape
from this suffering. Shneidman considered psychache to be the main ingredi-
ent of suicide. According to this model, suicide is an escape from intolerable
suffering, emphasizing that suicide is not as a movement toward death but
rather as an escape from intolerable emotion, unendurable or unacceptable
anguish. Experiencing negative emotions, with an internal dialogue making
the flow of consciousness painful and leading the individual to the ultima-
te conclusion, may be related to the fact that, if tormented individuals co-
uld somehow stop consciousness and still live, they would opt for that so-
lution. Suicide occurs when that individual deems the psychache to be un-
bearable. The author will describe new results on a multi-centre observatio-
nal study involving patients who were administered a battery of tests asses-
sing suicidal ideation and behaviour, mental pain, depression and childhood
maltreatment. Results point to the fact that suicide attempters (compared
to non-attempters) had higher odds of reporting worse psychological pain
and suicidal intent with/without a specific plan. They also had higher odds
of having a personality disorder and major depression. Contrary to our hypo-
theses, higher degrees of childhood trauma were not associated with more
severe mental pain scores. The author will also cover the role of mental pain
during the time of the pandemic.
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-068-4.11 11
of the New Millennium
Maurizio Pompili
Prof. Maurizio Pompili, M.D., is Full Professor and Chair of Psychiatry as part of the
Faculty of Medicine and Psychology at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, where
he received his M.D. degree and completed his training in psychiatry (both sum-
ma cum laude). He is also the director of University Psychiatric Clinic, the direc-
tor of Suicide Prevention Center at Sant’Andrea Hospital in Rome. Prof. Maurizio
Pompili was also part of the Community at McLean Hospital – Harvard Medical
School, the USA, where he received a fellowship in Psychiatry. He is the recipient
of American Association of Suicidology’s 2008 Shneidman Award.
Abstract. Among the constructs used to describe the wish to die, a simple
but extraordinary model has proved, for its straightforwardness, to be use-
ful in describing the suicidal mind. Edwin Shneidman first posited that the
suicidal individual experiences unbearable psychological pain (psychache)
or suffering and that suicide might be, at least in part, an attempt to escape
from this suffering. Shneidman considered psychache to be the main ingredi-
ent of suicide. According to this model, suicide is an escape from intolerable
suffering, emphasizing that suicide is not as a movement toward death but
rather as an escape from intolerable emotion, unendurable or unacceptable
anguish. Experiencing negative emotions, with an internal dialogue making
the flow of consciousness painful and leading the individual to the ultima-
te conclusion, may be related to the fact that, if tormented individuals co-
uld somehow stop consciousness and still live, they would opt for that so-
lution. Suicide occurs when that individual deems the psychache to be un-
bearable. The author will describe new results on a multi-centre observatio-
nal study involving patients who were administered a battery of tests asses-
sing suicidal ideation and behaviour, mental pain, depression and childhood
maltreatment. Results point to the fact that suicide attempters (compared
to non-attempters) had higher odds of reporting worse psychological pain
and suicidal intent with/without a specific plan. They also had higher odds
of having a personality disorder and major depression. Contrary to our hypo-
theses, higher degrees of childhood trauma were not associated with more
severe mental pain scores. The author will also cover the role of mental pain
during the time of the pandemic.
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-068-4.11 11
