Hope in the Storm: Studying the Daily Fight to Live
Understanding and preventing suicide often focuses on why people want to die—but a Yale researcher is calling for a shift to a more constructive, humanizing starting point. Christine Cha, PhD, stresses the importance of focusing on why many people who feel suicidal keep trying to live.
This article discusses the importance of focusing on why suicidal individuals continue to live, rather than just why they feel the urge to die. Christine Cha, a clinical psychologist at Yale School of Medicine, argues that traditional suicide prevention approaches that aim to reduce the motivation to die are only a part of the solution.
She emphasizes that understanding what keeps a person going is just as crucial. Cha notes that suicidal feelings are very real and deserve compassion, but also highlights that many who struggle with suicidal thoughts still have something holding them back from ending their lives, even if it's small. In a recent study published in Nature Mental Health, Cha points out that researchers have shown little interest in studying these life-leaning processes and whether they can be strengthened over time.
She gives an example of a suicidal teenager who experiences intense distress but also has hope for a beautiful future. Cha defines Future Life-Oriented Processes (FLO processes) as the thoughts and feelings a person has about the continuation of their life. These processes may include a strong desire to live and might look like a desire to preserve their future.
Cha suggests that strengthening these FLO processes could be a promising intervention target, but notes that suicide researchers haven't yet organized or tested them in a coordinated way. She stresses that although focusing on the will to live doesn't replace urgent safety measures in acute crises, it may be especially helpful in periods of common risk.
Cha's work at the Crisis Intervention Center at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, using Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), complements her research. CAMS balances discussions on reasons for dying with reasons for living with suicidal patients. Cha ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing that although a suicidal person may want to die, they are alive right now, and understanding what keeps them anchored to life today may help them remain here tomorrow.
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