Antoon A Leenaars
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 76299 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Antoon A Leenaars |
| PRENOMES | Antoon A |
| SOBRENOME | Leenaars |
| ASSINATURA | LEENAARS A A |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Windsor, Ontario |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5443-3387 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 45 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 47 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 45 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1986 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2015 |
| ÍNDICE H | 3 |
The Role of Self-Esteem in Suicides Among Young Men
This study explores self-esteem in suicide among young males with no earlier history of suicide attempt(s) or treatment in mental health services. The data come from an ongoing psychological autopsy study; 10 cases of young men aged 18 to 30, were selected to generate a phenomenologically based understanding of the psychological mechanisms and processes involved in the suicidal process. The analyses are based on in-depth interviews with 61 closel…
A comparison of suicide notes written by men and women
Previous research using small samples and subjective judgments has failed to identify reliable gender differences in suicide notes. Suicide notes written by 166 women and 513 men collected by Edwin Shneidman were analyzed by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count computer program. Six significant differences and four trends were identified. The suicide notes written by women had a higher percentage of words found in the dictionary, negations, word…
Mixed Impact of Firearms Restrictions on Fatal Firearm Injuries in Males
Our findings suggest that two laws could have contributed to reduce male firearm mortality. It is, however, a challenge to measure the role of four firearm restrictions. The null findings are inconclusive, as they may reflect no true impact or study limitations
A Psychological Profile of a Serial Killer
Serial killers have always fascinated society. A serial killer is typically defined as a perpetrator who murders three or more people over a period of time. Most reported cases of serial killers come from the United States and Canada. In India, there are few reported cases. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first Indian case in the literature. The present case is of a 28-year-old man, Surinder Koli. The Department of Forensic Medicine…
Psychological Autopsy Studies as Diagnostic Tools
One of the most established "truths" in suicidology is that almost all (90% or more) of those who kill themselves suffer from one or more mental disorders, and a causal link between the two is implied. Psychological autopsy (PA) studies constitute one main evidence base for this conclusion. However, there has been little reflection on the reliability and validity of this method. For example, psychiatric diagnoses are assigned to people who have d…
Meaning-Making Through Psychological Autopsy Interviews
Too often ethical boards delay or stop research projects with vulnerable populations, influenced by presumed rather than empirically documented vulnerability. The article investigates how participation is experienced by those bereaved by suicide. Experiences are divided into 3 groups: (a) overall positive (62%), (b) unproblematic (10%), and (c) positive and painful (28%). The positive experiences are linked to processes of meaning-making, gaining…
Motivation for Research Participation among People Bereaved by Suicide
Few studies directly address vulnerable populations' motivation for participating in research. Often motives are expressed spontaneously and typically given post-interview. This article investigates motivation for research participation among informants who have been bereaved by suicide. Informants were specifically asked for their motivation either prior to, or directly after the interview. Four categories of motivations were identified: (1) Hel…
Suicide Notes from India and the United States
Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be important; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. This study sought to investigate suicide notes drawn from India and the United States, as these countries have similar suicide rates but markedly different cultures. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual analysis of 72 suicide notes drawn from these countries, matched for age and gender, was undertaken,…
Suicide in Different Cultures
Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be central; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual analysis of 60 suicide notes drawn from Turkey and the United States, matched for age and sex, was undertaken, based on Leenaars's empirical-based multidimensional model of suicide. The results suggested that there were more culturally common factors than specific dif…
Menstruation and Suicide
Previous research has reported mixed findings on the effect of the menstrual cycle on suicidal behavior. The contribution of menstruation to completed suicide is also controversial, though the studies are very limited and have not been carefully designed. To explore the relationship, 217 autopsies on completed suicides were performed, matched to a control group at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The results show that 54.…
Life time suicidal thoughts in an urban community in Hanoi, Vietnam
In Vietnam, as in Western and other Asian countries, suicidal thoughts are associated with similar negative psychosocial risk factors, lifestyle and emotional problems, which implies that suicide preventive measure developed elsewhere can be adjusted to Vietnamese condition. Understanding the unique and common risks in a culture may assist in prediction and control
People Who Have Committed a Certain Sin Ought to be Dead
People who have committed a certain sin ought to be dead; I am a person who has committed that sin; therefore, I ought to be dead. Thus is the logic of a suicidal mind. Lester, Szaz, and others argue the 'sinner' should always be allowed to kill him/herself. Shneidman, Leenaars and others do not agree. Once one knows the suicidal mind, it is easy to conclude the suicidal mind is not rational. The first premise is false! Therefore, the question is…
A Note on Shneidman's Psychological Pain Assessment Scale
Shneidman's Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (PPAS) was explored for its validity and reliability. The test-retest reliability of the measures was quite modest for a 28-day interval. In a sample of undergraduate students, measures of psychache were significantly associated with prior suicidality; yet, the PPAS had only a modest degree of validity. More detailed study is warranted, before final conclusions can be made
Psychotherapy with Suicidal People
Part I Individual perspectives: the adolescent - the individual in cultural perspective, Berman Rick - a suicide of a young adult, Leenaars culture and ego-ideal in suicide - an adult case, Maltsberger being suicidal and elderly in changing times - a case history, Richman social suicide, Maris. Part II Cultural perspectives: suicide in America - a nation of immigrants, Lester suicide - the scourge of Native American people, EchoHawk African-Ameri…
Understanding the Declining Canadian Homicide Rate
Homicide rates in Canada have shown a decline since 1975, but there has been little empirical study of this trend. P. Holinger (1987) predicted and confirmed that the size of the cohort aged 15-24 in the United States population was associated with the rise and fall of the homicide rate in that country. This study was designed to test this hypothesis in Canada. The results show, even if one controls for other socio-economic variables, the most si…
Psychotherapy with suicidal people
Suicide and Human Rights
Suicide is violence-lethal violence, constituting serious public- and mental-health problems worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in the year 2000, more than 800,000 people worldwide had died by suicide. In many countries, suicide ranks among the top 10 causes of death. Lithuania, at times, has had the world's highest rate of suicide, a distinction often shared by Hungary. Suicide rates, however, are not static within nat…
The Impact of Gun Control (Bill C-51) on Suicide in Canada
Suicide is a multiply determined behavior, calling for diverse prevention efforts. Gun control has been proposed as an important component of society's response, and an opportunity for studying the effects of legislative gun control laws on suicide rates was provided by Canada's Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1977 (Bill C-51). This article reviews previous studies of the impact of this act on the total population of Canada and subpopulations by ag…
The impact of gun control (Bill C-51) on homicide in Canada
Suicide Notes in Alcoholism
Alcoholism is associated with a vast number of suicides. The most systematic study of suicide among alcoholics is the work of Eli Robins and George Murphy. The suicide notes in these studies have remained unanalyzed to date. The present analysis suggested that these suicide notes of alcoholics did not differ from those of nonalcoholics; core themes in their deaths are unbearable psychological pain, cognitive constriction, indirect expressions, re…
Predicting Suicide Rate Among Elderly Persons in Canadian Provinces
Predicting Suicide Rate among Elderly Persons in Canadian Provinces
In a study of the ten Canadian provinces, the suicide rate among elderly persons was predicted by their average income and the percentage of elderly people with low incomes
Principles of Postvention
Sylvia Plath
Personal documents have a significant place in psychological research. Suicide notes, diaries, novels, poems, and so on allow us to better understand the suicidal mind. The works of Sylvia Plath--a poet who killed herself at age 30--are prime examples for such protocol study. This article examines the last 6 months of Plath's poetry, revealing a suicidal malaise. Associating the results to the lives of Cesare Pavese and the case study of Natalie,…
Suicide Notes at Symbolic Ages
Symbolic ages, like 40, 65, or 70, are often stocktaking occasions. Phillips and Smith in 1991 showed that suicides peak at such ages for married males and suggested that suicide notes may be an avenue to analyzing such stocktaking in people's lives. 40 notes from symbolic and nonsymbolic ages were compared based on a multidimensional clinical perspective. No differences were noted. Although caution is in order in accepting the null hypothesis, i…
Psychological Autopsy Studies as Diagnostic Tools
One of the most established "truths" in suicidology is that almost all (90% or more) of those who kill themselves suffer from one or more mental disorders, and a causal link between the two is implied. Psychological autopsy (PA) studies constitute one main evidence base for this conclusion. However, there has been little reflection on the reliability and validity of this method. For example, psychiatric diagnoses are assigned to people who have d…
Meaning-Making Through Psychological Autopsy Interviews
Too often ethical boards delay or stop research projects with vulnerable populations, influenced by presumed rather than empirically documented vulnerability. The article investigates how participation is experienced by those bereaved by suicide. Experiences are divided into 3 groups: (a) overall positive (62%), (b) unproblematic (10%), and (c) positive and painful (28%). The positive experiences are linked to processes of meaning-making, gaining…
The Impact of Gun Control (Bill C-51) on Suicide in Canada
Suicide is a multiply determined behavior, calling for diverse prevention efforts. Gun control has been proposed as an important component of society's response, and an opportunity for studying the effects of legislative gun control laws on suicide rates was provided by Canada's Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1977 (Bill C-51). This article reviews previous studies of the impact of this act on the total population of Canada and subpopulations by ag…
Suicide Notes from India and the United States
Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be important; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. This study sought to investigate suicide notes drawn from India and the United States, as these countries have similar suicide rates but markedly different cultures. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual analysis of 72 suicide notes drawn from these countries, matched for age and gender, was undertaken,…
Suicide in Different Cultures
Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be central; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual analysis of 60 suicide notes drawn from Turkey and the United States, matched for age and sex, was undertaken, based on Leenaars's empirical-based multidimensional model of suicide. The results suggested that there were more culturally common factors than specific dif…
Principles of Postvention
The ethics of suicide and suicide prevention
Is suicide ever a defensible choice, particularly for the terminally ill? The present article debates this difficult question, examining the relevance of such issues as the morality, rationality, and dynamics of the suicidal act, and the legitimacy of physician-assisted suicide. Contrasting perspectives on these issues are articulated by two prominent suicidologists, as a spur to the reader's deeper reconsideration of the ethics of suicide and su…
Attitudes toward suicide among english-speaking urban canadians
The study of suicide must take place within a specific cultural context. Despite Canada's high rate of suicide, compared to that of the United States, there has been little research on the topic, including attitudes toward suicide among Canadians. The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes toward suicide in a Canadian English-speaking urban sample. A sample of 196 Canadian adults residing in six major cities were administered the Suicide O…
Comparison of suicide notes and parasuicide notes
This archival research, a comparison of suicide notes written by individuals who killed themselves and notes—called parasuicide notes—by individuals who attempted suicide, involved two studies. The first study involved a comparison of eight patterns (comprised of individual protocol sentences): unbearable pain, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, inability to adjust, indirect expressions, identification-egression, ego, and cognitive co…
A comparison of suicide notes written by men and women
Previous research using small samples and subjective judgments has failed to identify reliable gender differences in suicide notes. Suicide notes written by 166 women and 513 men collected by Edwin Shneidman were analyzed by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count computer program. Six significant differences and four trends were identified. The suicide notes written by women had a higher percentage of words found in the dictionary, negations, word…
Suicide and Human Rights
Suicide is violence-lethal violence, constituting serious public- and mental-health problems worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in the year 2000, more than 800,000 people worldwide had died by suicide. In many countries, suicide ranks among the top 10 causes of death. Lithuania, at times, has had the world's highest rate of suicide, a distinction often shared by Hungary. Suicide rates, however, are not static within nat…
The impact of gun control (Bill C-51) on homicide in Canada
Suicide prevention in schools
Both children and adolescents do commit suicide. Attempted suicide and suicidal ideation occur even more frequently. Schools offer an excellent and important opportunity to reach a large number of young people. The purpose of this special issue on primary prevention is twofold: First, models are provided in order to outline examples of prevention programs for school systems; second, actual prevention material and case illustrations are provided t…
What characteristics of suicide notes are salient for people to allow perception of a suicide note as genuine
A recent study by Lester and Leenaars (1) indicated that some genuine suicide notes are more consistently construed as genuine than others. This study attempts to isolate what characteristics of suicide notes allow people to perceive a suicide note as genuine. We compared a sample of more and less obvious notes on the basis of eight patterns: unbearable pain, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, inability to adjust, indirect expressions…
Facts and myths of suicide in Canada
The purpose of this article is to describe a series of studies that investigated the level of knowledge of suicide fables and facts among Canadians. A questionnaire devised from Shneidman's traditional list of ubiquitous clinical facts and myths was used. Three studies are reported: the prevalence of myths and facts in the largest sample reported in the literature to date; the prevalence in a number of different groups such as students versus non…
Brief Note on Latent Content in Suicide Notes
Unconscious psychodynamic forces have been frequently observed in suicide notes. This article marks an attempt to study the phenomenon systematically. Independent professional judges who had a year earlier scored two samples of suicide notes were asked to rescore these same notes for the presence or absence of unconscious implications. Significant test-retest reliability was observed; however, no agreement about “what these latent forces might be…
Differentiation of Genuine Suicide Notes
Arbeit and Blatt (1973) reported that many individuals could rzot distinguish suicide notes from simulated suicide notes although they and Leenaars and Balance (1984) found that some judges who have graduate degrees and are in clinical practice can significantly make such distinctions. Sherman, Presson, and Chassin (1984) have noted that motivational factors may affect this discrimination task. The present study was designed to identify differenc…
The Moral Justification of Suicide in Suicide Notes
Jacobs (1967) reported a classification of suicide notes into five types: first-form notes (31 25%) try to justify the suicide and seek forgiveness, illness notes (30 4%) in which the writer is suffering from a serious illness, notes which blame orhers for the problems (8.9%), will and testaments, and notes of instruction. No other study has apparently ever applied this classification to a sample of suicide notes. The present study sought to expl…
An Empirical Investigation of the Latent Content of Suicide Notes
Unconscious psychodynamic forces have been frequently observed in suicide notes; Leenaars (1986, 1988) reported that clinical judges observed such content significantly more often In genulne suicide notes than simulated suicide notes. This study marks an attempt to employ an clnpirical method for investigating the phenomenon. Two independent judges scored the content in Shneidman and Farberow's 33 genuine and 33 simulated notes (1957), using Foul…
Facts and myths of suicide in Canada
The purpose of this article is to describe a series of studies that investigated the level of knowledge of suicide fables and facts among Canadians. A questionnaire devised from Shneidman's traditional list of ubiquitous clinical facts and myths was used. Three studies are reported: the prevalence of myths and facts in the largest sample reported in the literature to date; the prevalence in a number of different groups such as students versus non…
The Significance of the Method Chosen for Suicide in Understanding the Psychodynamics of the Suicidal Individual
The suicide notes of those using active and passive methods for suicide were compared for the presence of fifty classifications regarding such psychodynamics as perturbation, lethality, relations, self-cognitions, etc. The two sets of notes resembled each other closely. The lone difference was that those using active methods more often communicated that rejection by a significant other was a critical factor; however, this finding was not replicat…
Suicide in Adolescents
This paper explores the rate of suicide in teenagers in Canada by comparing this to the United States' rate. The data clearly show that the rates of suicide in late (15 to 19 yr.) adolescent boys is higher in Canada, suggesting that Canada may be facing a relative crisis. These findings are interpreted to suggest that there is a greater need for Canadian sociocultural research and response
Suicide prevention in schools
Both children and adolescents do commit suicide. Attempted suicide and suicidal ideation occur even more frequently. Schools offer an excellent and important opportunity to reach a large number of young people. The purpose of this special issue on primary prevention is twofold: First, models are provided in order to outline examples of prevention programs for school systems; second, actual prevention material and case illustrations are provided t…
What characteristics of suicide notes are salient for people to allow perception of a suicide note as genuine
A recent study by Lester and Leenaars (1) indicated that some genuine suicide notes are more consistently construed as genuine than others. This study attempts to isolate what characteristics of suicide notes allow people to perceive a suicide note as genuine. We compared a sample of more and less obvious notes on the basis of eight patterns: unbearable pain, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, inability to adjust, indirect expressions…
Myths about suicide notes
Research has indicated that the lay public is unaware of essential hallmarks of a suicide note. Furthermore, studies have been unable to isolate what characteristics of suicide notes allow people to perceive a suicide note as genuine. We compared a sample of more or less obvious genuine notes on the basis of what subjects themselves reported to be their basis for selection. The phenomenological findings suggested that people often look for a trau…
Menninger's Motives for Suicide in the Notes of Completed and Attempted Suicides
Brevard, Lester, and Yang in 1990, studying Menninger's motives for suicide, reported more evidence for the wish to be killed (i.e., self-blame or self-punishment) in suicide notes for completed suicides than in parasuicide notes for attempted suicide; however, they did not control for age and sex. A comparison of notes written by completed and attempted suicides that controlled for age and sex showed no differences in the presence of content whi…
Comparison of suicide notes and parasuicide notes
This archival research, a comparison of suicide notes written by individuals who killed themselves and notes—called parasuicide notes—by individuals who attempted suicide, involved two studies. The first study involved a comparison of eight patterns (comprised of individual protocol sentences): unbearable pain, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, inability to adjust, indirect expressions, identification-egression, ego, and cognitive co…
Comparison of rates and patterns of suicide in Canada and the United States, 1960–1988
It is often assumed that the rates and patterns of suicide in Canada are the same as in the United States. However, it has recently been questioned whether they are similar. The current study was designed to explore the rates and patterns empirically. Though restricted by the statistical records themselves, three studies were undertaken including comparisons of rates: (1) by year, 1960–1988 for both sexes; (2) by chronological age/developmental a…
Suicide Rates in Canada before and after Tightening Firearm Control Laws
In Canada, Bill C-51 was implemented in 1977 to restrict the use of firearms, providing a good opportunity to study the effects of gun control laws in the use of firearms for suicide. The present study examined the use of guns for suicide during the period prior to the bill and during the period after the passing of Bill C-51 to assess the association of the bill with suicide rates. Analysis showed a significant decreasing trend after passage of …
Trauma and suicide in our schools
Trauma occurs in our schools; suicide is one such event. Postvention deals with the traumatic aftereffects in survivors. It involves offering mental health services to the bereaved survivors. School systems are an especially critical force in these endeavors. Strategies include consultation, crisis intervention, community linkage, assessment and counselling, education, liaison with the media, and follow-up. An outline of this type of prevention (…
Effects of Gun Control on Homicide in Canada
Data from Canada from 1969 to 1985 showed that the passage of a stricter firearms control law in 1977 was associated with a decrease in the use of firearms for homicide but an increase in the use of all other methods for homicide
Introduction to the special issue
Crisis intervention with highly lethal suicidal people
Crisis intervention is a systematic process of problem resolution within the context of a human relationship. Crisis work of any kind needs a model. This article outlines one such model for working with highly lethal suicidal people. By means of an idiographic illustration, the idea that a crisis is a perception is explored, along with issues concerning lethality and perturbation, object relations, responsibility, availability of a weapon, and ac…
Attitudes toward suicide among english-speaking urban canadians
The study of suicide must take place within a specific cultural context. Despite Canada's high rate of suicide, compared to that of the United States, there has been little research on the topic, including attitudes toward suicide among Canadians. The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes toward suicide in a Canadian English-speaking urban sample. A sample of 196 Canadian adults residing in six major cities were administered the Suicide O…
Suicide Notes at Symbolic Ages
Symbolic ages, like 40, 65, or 70, are often stocktaking occasions. Phillips and Smith in 1991 showed that suicides peak at such ages for married males and suggested that suicide notes may be an avenue to analyzing such stocktaking in people's lives. 40 notes from symbolic and nonsymbolic ages were compared based on a multidimensional clinical perspective. No differences were noted. Although caution is in order in accepting the null hypothesis, i…
The ethics of suicide and suicide prevention
Is suicide ever a defensible choice, particularly for the terminally ill? The present article debates this difficult question, examining the relevance of such issues as the morality, rationality, and dynamics of the suicidal act, and the legitimacy of physician-assisted suicide. Contrasting perspectives on these issues are articulated by two prominent suicidologists, as a spur to the reader's deeper reconsideration of the ethics of suicide and su…
Predicting Suicide Rate Among Elderly Persons in Canadian Provinces
Predicting Suicide Rate among Elderly Persons in Canadian Provinces
In a study of the ten Canadian provinces, the suicide rate among elderly persons was predicted by their average income and the percentage of elderly people with low incomes
Principles of Postvention
Sylvia Plath
Personal documents have a significant place in psychological research. Suicide notes, diaries, novels, poems, and so on allow us to better understand the suicidal mind. The works of Sylvia Plath--a poet who killed herself at age 30--are prime examples for such protocol study. This article examines the last 6 months of Plath's poetry, revealing a suicidal malaise. Associating the results to the lives of Cesare Pavese and the case study of Natalie,…
Psychology (40 obras) · Medicine (39 obras) · Poison control (35 obras) · Medical emergency (33 obras) · Suicide prevention (33 obras) · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies (31 obras) · Injury prevention (22 obras) · Human Factors and Ergonomics (17 obras) · Human Factors and Ergonomics (17 obras) · Clinical Psychology (16 obras)