Five Components of a Basic Suicide Syndrome*

To the question “Why suicide?” a tentative framework is proposed, taking the form of a syndrome of five components: (a) commitment; (b) rigidity; (c) failure; (d) shame; and (e) isolation. These are quite similar to the conclusions of a study by Dorothy Miller. The syndrome is psychological as well as sociological, deals with the response of the suicider to crisis, and suggests mechanisms lacking in other theoretical frameworks. Quantitative and qualitative data taken from interviews with survivors of well over 100 suiciders support the framework. Also discussed are possible further refinements of the syndrome, its adequacy, and its applications to intervention with suicidal persons.