Is Perceived Burdensomeness Present in the Lives of Famous Suicides? A Lack of Support for the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide

The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) proposes that suicide is the result of three constructs: perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belonging, and the acquired capability for suicide. To explore the presence of these constructs in suicides, two raters read 72 summaries of biographies of famous suicide for the extent to which each construct was present. Only 11 of the 72 (15.3%) suicides were judged to have perceived burdensomeness compared to 65 (90.3%) and 48 (66.7%) for thwarted belonging and the acquired capability, respectively, indicating that a sense of burdensomeness is not commonly found in suicides.