Last Words: Are There Differences in Psychosocial and Clinical Antecedents Among Suicide Decedents Who Leave E‐Notes, Paper Notes, or No Note?

Abstract

Objective Only a minority of suicide decedents leave a suicide note. Typically, the notes are handwritten on paper; however, electronic suicide notes have been reported with increasing frequency. This emerging phenomenon remains generally under‐researched. The aim of this study was to compare the psychosocial and clinical antecedents of suicide decedents who left E‐notes with those who left paper notes or no notes. Method The study was embedded in the Southwestern Ontario Suicide Study (SOSS). The SOSS was a three‐year case series of consecutive deaths by suicide that occurred in the region between 2012 and 2014. Data on psychosocial and clinical antecedents were collected with a modified version of the Manchester questionnaire used in the UK. Results Of the 476 suicides files reviewed, 45.8% contained a suicide note. A total of 383 separate suicide notes were left: 74.3% were paper notes and 25.7% were E‐notes. The results of the multivariate regression analyses indicate that the likelihood of leaving a suicide note was negatively associated with a history of admissions to a mental health unit, while the likelihood of leaving an E‐note was negatively associated with age, positively associated with presence of a mental disorder, and negatively associated with history of hospital admissions. Conclusions Future studies with larger samples need to consider the timing of the text messages, and appraise whether there was the intent of seeking help or rescue in the text messages.

“Please forgive me:” Asian and Pacific Islander Americans’ suicide notes.

“…Through interviews and other forms of investigations, CMEs/LEOs documented the circumstances surrounding suicide, including whether the decedents left suicide notes and, if so, the content of these notes. Suicide notes included handwritten notes, video messages, and electronic communications, such as text messages and emails (Eynan et al, 2019; Leenaars, 1996). In our study, 30.9% ( n = 1,130) of APIA decedents left suicide notes.…”

“…Nonetheless, there is a paucity of research on APIAs’ suicide notes, defined as unsolicited recorded communications about one’s suicide, typically documented by a suicide decedent just before their death (Leenaars, 1996). These notes include handwritten notes, video messages, and electronic communications, such as text messages and emails (Eynan et al, 2019). In the only known published study on APIAs’ suicide notes, Lee and Wong (2020) found that, among adolescent suicide decedents, APIAs were more likely than Black, Latinx, and Native American (but not White) adolescents to have left a suicide note.…”

Looking for Razors and Needles in a Haystack: Multifaceted Analysis of Suicidal Declarations on Social Media—A Pragmalinguistic Approach

“…378-394). Even suicide letters, traditionally written by hand, are now usually typed ( [64], pp. 1379-1394).…”