ABSTRACT
Risk factors are only a part of the concern of the clinician dealing with potential suicide, and much broader issues need to be taken into account to guide the clinician in management. The self-critical person who has a severe superego may also be relatively autonomous, independent, and avoidant of seeking help from others. The dependent type would appear to be both less dangerous in terms of suicide and easier to treat, since there is a more readily available relationship that can be used within a therapeutic situation. This particular type also seems to be more congruent with the idea of turning anger and aggression against the self, and certainly recognizing anger within a dependent relationship would be important in these individuals. Within adolescent development itself, there are also the specific challenges of that period, such as the integration of sexual drive and the establishment of identity and autonomy that allows separation from the primary family.
