The Suicidal Mode: A Cognitive‐Behavioral Model of Suicidality

This article discusses the theoretical foundation and potential clinical application of the suicidal mode, a cognitive behavioral theory of suicidality. The model presented represents a specific elaboration of Beck's modal theory of psychopathology. In addition to discussing the fundamental requirements of a theory of suicidality, the theoretical assumptions of the suicidal mode are identified, its component parts defined, its inherent strengths emphasized, and its application in clinical settings detailed. Definition of a modal theory of suicidality represents the growing influence of cognitive-behavioral theory in efforts at psychotherapeutic integration in clinical suicidology.