LSU Science Café: Myths About Suicidal Thoughts

For decades, researchers have tried to predict suicide by building tools to assess suicidal thinking without really understanding the nature of these thoughts. But in recent years, more research has focused on how people experience suicidal thoughts, and what this means for their future risk of death by suicide.

This talk will detail the contemporary research into the phenomenology of suicidal thinking. In brief, suicidal thoughts are dynamic. They can quickly change from moment to moment and be experienced pictorially as well as verbally, consciously and non-consciously, and by choice and not by choice. Importantly, suicidal thoughts aren’t strong predictors of suicidal behavior, nor are they contingent on symptoms of depression, nor are they always “triggered.”

Raymond P. Tucker is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at LSU, where he founded the Mitigation of Suicidal Behavior research lab. As a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and director of suicidology with LSU Health New Orleans and Our Lady of the Lake Health, LSU’s Championship Health Partner, Tucker trains medical staff and students in evidence-based risk assessment and intervention protocols related to suicide. In 2020, he was named the American Association of Suicidology’s Citizen Scientist for his work. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, Scattergood Behavioral Health, Franciscan Ministries, and the Department of Defense.

Photo credit: Illustration created using Adobe Firefly.

LSU Science Café is presented in partnership with Campus Federal Credit Union and WRKF.

The event is open to the public and advance registration through Eventbrite is recommended.

If you are attending in-person, please print your registration ticket or have it available on your electronic device upon arrival. Doors open at 5:00 PM. Event begins at 6:00 PM.

If you are attending virtually, access to the live event will be available through Facebook Live. A Facebook account is not required to view the event livestream.

The event broadcast will be closed captioned, and a recording of the event will be made available on the LSU Research YouTube channel shortly after the event.

Host or Publisher LSU Office of Research & Economic Development