Diminished responses to external threat as a possible link between chronic/severe posttraumatic stress disorder and suicide.

Blunted neurobehavioral responses to external threats appear to be one plausible mechanism via which chronic, severe, and/or multitrauma PTSD may elevate risk for a suicide attempt when combined with suicidal desire. Future research should seek to use intensive longitudinal designs to evaluate the directionality of relations between PTSD, suicide, and threat reactivity across multiple levels of analysis, including the behavioral freeze response. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).