Neuropsychology and Suicide
摘要
Suicide is one of the major concerns in physical and mental health worldwide. Every year, more than 100,000 people commit suicide in India. Multiple factors contribute to the cause of suicide. It is a complex entity involving biopsychosocial risk factors. Evidence-based literature supports the involvement of neuropsychological deficits in the risk factors of suicidal behavior. In suicide, attentional bias is a well-researched domain. In this, the person pays too much attention to specific environmental cues which makes the person difficult to find alternative solutions to the problem other than suicide. Other deficits like poor executive functioning, poor information processing, cognitive inflexibility, and poor response inhibition also play a crucial role in suicidal behavior. The role of the anterior cingulate cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex in motor and interference inhibition has been implicated as possible neuroanatomic correlates in suicide. It is a major public health issue. Newer researches are more toward understanding the cognition in suicide. This chapter will focus on the brain areas involved in suicide, cognitive profiles of attempters and ideators, and mental health issues with evidence-based literature. Hopefully, this chapter will help the readers to understand the neuropsychology of suicide and further help in developing therapeutic strategies for the prevention of suicide.