Table 2. Self-reported reasons for the attempt^a.

	N (%)
Escapeb	29 (28.7%)
“I wanted to get away from life. I still do.”
“I wanted to die. Get away from everything.”
Functioning & autonomy	24 (23.8%)
“Can no longer do the things I used to do”
“My wife is very ill since her stroke. She cannot take care of herself. (But I myself) am amputated and wheelchair bound.”
Psychological problems	24 (23.8%)
“I had a panic attack, and didn't want to have that again”
“I was tired and depressed. My thoughts were chaotic.”
Somatic problems & pain	16 (15.8%)
“I had a stroke one year ago”
“I wanted to get away from the pain, I decided, I've had enough”
No memory or understanding	15 (14.9%)
“I can't understand or remember. It must have been an impulse.”
“I can't explain this.”
Perceived burden	13 (12.9%)
“I do not want to be a burden on anyone. I do not want to be a vegetable. The others are better off without me,”
“I wanted to release my granddaughter from the burden I cause.”
Social problems: Thwarted belongingness & family conflict	13 (12.9%)
“I don't belong anywhere.”
“I don't want to live on my own anymore, I feel so lonely”
Wanted to die (or sleep and not wake up) without a specific reason	13 (12.9%)
“I didn't want to wake up anymore.”
“I wanted to die right then. I regretted it at once.”
Lack of meaning	8 (7.9%)
“I wanted to get away from the meaninglessness”
“I thought life was meaningless”

Note:

^aSample attributions are shown in italics. Subjects could report more than one reason. A suicide attempt was defined according to Beck (1972) as “a situation in which a person has performed an actual or seemingly life-threatening behavior with the intent of jeopardizing his life, or to give the appearance of such an intent, but which has not resulted in death” (29).

^bFor the escape category, 6 individuals mentioned the concept of “wanting to get away” (or escape) without providing a specific reason, while 23 individuals also provided a specific reason coded as one of the other themes in this table.