Conceptual confusion about intentions and motives of nonfatal suicidal behavior: A discussion of terms employed in the literature of suicidology

The confusing and inconsistent employment of the terms intentions and motives in the literature of suicidology is exemplified and discussed. It is concluded that when nonfatal suicidal acts are explained in terms of something the patients wanted to achieve by the act (which mainly is the case), whether it was to die or something else, the appropriate term will be intention(s), not motive(s).