Classification of Suicide Attempters by Cluster Analysis

Cluster analytic procedures for classification were carried out on a sample of 236 suicide attempters. Rating variables concerned previous suicidal behaviour, details of the recent attempt and its motivation, mental state, and demographic characteristics. Results suggested the existence of three groups of attempters. The first comprised patients taking overdoses, on the whole showing less risk to life, less psychiatric disturbance, and more evidence of interpersonal rather than self-destructive motivation. The second groups, fewer in number, made severe attempts with more self-destructive motivation, by violent methods rather than overdose. The third and smallest group had a previous history of many attempts and gestures, made relatively mild attempts and were overtly hostile, engendering reciprocal hostility in the treating psychiatrist. These groups show some resemblance to those found in other studies.