Suicide notes written by child and adolescent suicide victims: A qualitative textual analysis

Abstract

Objective: Our aim is to contribute to the understanding of the processes behind childhood suicide. Through the analysis of suicide notes from 11- to 15-year-old Norwegian suicide victims, we aim to provide knowledge of the central themes these children chose to communicate to friends and loved ones. Method: We performed a qualitative analysis of 23 suicide notes using the method of systematic text condensation. These notes were entrusted to us during a psychological autopsy study conducted from 2007 to 2009. Results: The central themes in the notes were a) declarations of love, friendship, and affection; b) offers of forgiveness and consolation; c) statements of guilt, shame, and aggression; and d) statements of testaments and last wishes. Conclusion: The suicide notes of young suicide victims indicate that the suicide acts were deliberate and planned. The victims were very conscious of the grief their suicide would inflict, primarily that which it would inflict on their parents, but they also realized that they could find no other alternatives to their actual situation and state of mind. Feelings of guilt and shame seem to have played an important role in their decisions to commit suicide.