A case of family dysfunction and teenage suicide attempt: applicability of a family systems paradigm.

A large body of research indicates that suicidal behavior in adolescence is related to dysfunctional family processes. The purpose of this paper was to investigate this relationship focusing on the concepts of boundary transgression, double bind interactions, and the demarcation of kinship roles in the family. The possibility is explored that suicidal behavior is a double bind response to contradictions in the way roles and responsibilities are distributed in the family, and that as a response, suicide attempts may contain a simultaneous appeal for help and an assertion of independence from the family. A case vignette is presented to illustrate these processes.