Suicidal Mental Imagery in Suicide Attempters

To examine the prevalence and clinical correlates of suicidal mental imagery among individuals who have attempted suicide in India. This cross-sectional study included 63 participants who recently attempted suicide. Assessments included the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Version 6, suicidality subscale; Patient Health Questionnaire-9; Beck Suicide Intent Scale; Scale for Assessment of Lethality of Suicide Attempt; and a sociodemographic data questionnaire. Data were collected from June 2023 to April 2024. The majority of participants were unemployed, educated, unmarried, and from nuclear families and rural backgrounds. Common attempt methods were drug overdose and poisoning. Of the participants, 79.4% reported past mental illness. Suicidal mental imagery was present in 38.1% of participants. Associations were found with female sex, unemployment, past mental illness, and higher depression/suicidality scores. The relationship between depression, suicidality, and mental imagery suggests that addressing imagery could be important for treatment and prevention. .