On the role of impulsivity and decision-making in suicidal behavior Yari Gvion, Yossi Levi-Belz, Gergö Hadlaczky, Alan Apter Yari Gvion, Department of Clinical Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel Yari Gvion, Department of Clinical Psychology, Tel-Aviv Jaffa Academic Center, Tel Aviv 6199903, Israel Yari Gvion, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya 46000, Israel Yossi Levi-Belz, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 40250, Israel Gergö Hadlaczky, National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden Alan Apter, Feinberg Child Study Center, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva 49202, Israel Author contributions: All the authors equally contributed to this work. Confict-of-interest statement: None. Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Correspondence to: Yari Gvion, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel. yari@kadi.co.il Telephone: +972-52-2340520 Received: March 10, 2015 Peer-review started: March 12, 2015 First decision: May 13, 2015 Revised: June 30, 2015 Accepted: September 1, 2015 Article in press: September 2, 2015 Published online: September 22, 2015 Abstract Suicide risk constitutes a complex set of interacting demographic, clinical, psychobiological and environmental variables. Impulsivity is a long-known risk factor for suicide attempts. However, research based on clearer conceptual refnement in this area is imperative. One emerging feld of study is that of decision-making. Impulsivity involves a failure of higher-order control, including decision-making. Using standardized operational defnitions that take into consideration relevant aspects of impulsivity, including state- and trait-components and a deeper understanding of the process of decision-making in the suicidal mind, we may come a step closer to understanding suicida- lity and winning the fight in this scourge of human suffering. Key words: Suicide; Suicidal behavior; Decision-making; Impulsivity © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Core tip: Impulsivity is a long-known risk factor for suicide attempts. Impulsivity involves a failure of higher- order control, including decision-making. Thus, decision- making may be particularly pertinent to suicidal behavior. Deficits in decision-making may impair people’s ability to resolve problems and dilemmas and thus create an accumulation of stressors leading to further pain. These may give rise to risky choices such as self- harm or suicide behaviors. Gvion Y, Levi-Belz Y, Hadlaczky G, Apter A. On the role of impulsivity and decision-making in suicidal behavior. World J Psychiatr 2015; 5(3): 255-259 Available from: URL: http://www. wjgnet.com/2220-3206/full/v5/i3/255.htm DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5498/wjp.v5.i3.255 EDITORIAL Submit a Manuscript: http://www.wjgnet.com/esps/ Help Desk: http://www.wjgnet.com/esps/helpdesk.aspx DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v5.i3.255 World J Psychiatr 2015 September 22; 5(3): 255-259 ISSN 2220-3206 (online) © 2015 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. World Journal of Psychiatry WJP 255 September 22, 2015|Volume 5|Issue 3| WJP|www.wjgnet.com