The Moderating Effects of Accurate Expectations of Lethality in the Relationships between Suicide Intent and Medical Lethality on Suicide Attempts

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the accuracy of expectation of medical lethality and to identify characteristics related to high medical lethality in suicide attempters. METHODS: A total of 370 suicide attempters (173 men, 197 women) who visited the emergency department at one university hospital were interviewed. RESULTS: Using the Lethality Scale, 103 (27.8%), 114 (30.8%), and 153 (41.4%) suicide attempters were assigned to the low, medium, and high medical lethality groups, respectively. The medium and high medical lethality groups were older, and reported poorer socioenvironmental conditions, compared with the low lethality group. Higher levels of suicide intent were associated with more lethal attempts but only for those attempters who had accurate expectations of the medical lethality of their attempts. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of expectations about the likelihood of dying was found to moderate the relationships between suicide intent and medical lethality.