# My Reasons for Living: A Descriptive Study of the Motives for Not Committing Suicide Among Patients Diagnosed With Schizophrenia

## TL;DR

This study explores what keeps patients with schizophrenia from committing suicide, finding that beliefs in survival and family responsibility are key.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific protective factors in chronic schizophrenia patients with high suicide risk.

## Key findings

- High scores in Survival and Coping Beliefs were observed in the sample.
- Low scores in the Fear of Suicide domain were found.
- RFLI scores were associated with age, illness duration, and hospitalizations.

## Abstract

Background and objective

Reasons for Living (RFL) constitute a construct that enables identifying the reasons for not committing suicide. These reasons are based on significant aspects of life, on the commitment to some ideals which may inhibit the impulse of committing suicide. The present study aimed to explore the RFL in a sample of patients with chronic schizophrenia; analyze the association of RFL with the duration of illness, previous suicide attempts, hospitalizations, and schooling; and describe the potential differences between male and female patients in this context.

Materials and methods

A total of 94 patients with schizophrenia were assessed. The Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI) was applied and a structured interview for clinical and sociodemographic data was performed to gather data. Frequencies and descriptive statistics were calculated, and Spearman's correlation analysis was employed.

Results

The mean score among the sample was 3.9, with 3.8 as the cut-off point under which the presence of suicide risk is significant. The RFLs indicated as most important by patients were those in the domains of Survival and Coping Beliefs and Responsibility to Family. Non-significant differences were observed between groups. An association was observed in terms of age, duration of illness, number of hospitalizations, and RFLI scores.

Conclusions

The sample in the present study obtained high scores in the RFL domain of Survival and Coping Beliefs and low scores in the domain of Fear of Suicide, reflecting a specific response pattern that contrasts with other high suicidal-risk populations. We suggest that this construct could represent a protective factor for schizophrenia patients, including chronic patients with previous suicide attempts and high hospitalization rates, which were common variables observed in our clinical sample.