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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Jul 23;23(5):536–544. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2014.07.003

Table 3. Examples of thwarted belongingness and other social problems and perceived burdensomeness.

Social problems
Thwarted belongingness:
“I don't belong anywhere,”
“I have a feeling of not belonging,”
“I don't want to live on my own anymore, I feel so lonely,”
“I have lived my life, I am lonely,”
“I can't go out and it is hard to be with other people because of my tinnitus”
“I have no one to talk to.”
Family Conflict:
“I had a conflict with my grandchild. He said I was a liar so I thought it was better to be dead,”
“Wanted to help out at home. But I wasn't allowed to. Now I want to die if I am so difficult. I feel useless and unneeded,”
“I wanted to die. My partner is sick and we have a lot of conflicts.”
Perceived burdensomeness
“I wanted to die. I experienced that I was getting in the way of my children. They became unhappy because of me. They thought I was demanding.”
“I wanted to die. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to get away from the meaninglessness. I feel more and more worthless. I do not want to burden others. Everything looks black,”
“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 get away. I wanted to escape the misery. I don't want to be a burden for my children. I can't manage that well at home,”
“I wanted to release my granddaughter from the burden I cause. She shouldn't have to be concerned,”
“I thought that I was too much of a burden. I wanted to get away.”