ABSTRACT
66 suicide attempters were interviewed with the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule (EPSIS) and characteristics of persons under the age of 26 were compared with those over 26.82% of the young suicide attempters gave interpersonal conflicts as reasons for their suicide attempts while most older persons gave psychiatric disorders as reasons. The younger group also had significantly lower scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hopelessness Scale. While younger suicide attempters rarely had sought help from their GP within the month preceding the attempt one third of the older group had done so. It is concluded that in order to understand the reasons why people attempt suicide a differential approach combining the concept of crisis as well as the concept of illness is needed. Helpers should know that young suicide attempters rarely show signs of clear psychiatric disorder but usually attempt suicide because they are unable to cope with interpersonal conflicts.
