Suicidal behaviour and cognition: A systematic review with special focus on prefrontal deficits

•Attention is a specific dysfunctional cognitive dimension in psychiatric patients with suicide attempts. Executive function is altered in patients with Schizophrenia and Affective disorder with past suicide attempts.•Some studies confirm that these cognitive alterations persist long after the suicide attempt, even in currently asymptomatic affective patients.•These two cognitive dimensions are essential for processing and responding adequately to life events and are greatly influenced by the emotional of the individual. Deficits in these dimensions during psychological distress can lead to a higher risk for suicide.