Imagery about suicide in depression--"Flash-forwards"? by Holmes, E, Crane, C, Fennell, M, Williams, J

“…Echoing flashbacks in posttraumatic stress disorder, the current images appeared like "flash-forwards" to suicide. These results provide the first data to our knowledge on the existence of mental imagery in suicidality, opening a promising new avenue for research.…”

'Flash-forwards' and suicidal ideation: A prospective investigation of mental imagery, entrapment and defeat in a cohort from the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey. by Ng, R, Di Simplicio, M, McManus, F, Kennerley, H, Holmes, E

“…<p>‘Flash-forwards’ - mental images of suicide - have been reported in selected Caucasian samples. …”

Suicidal imagery in a previously depressed community sample. by Crane, C, Shah, D, Barnhofer, T, Holmes, E

“…Seventeen participants reported prior suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical assessment, and the vast majority of these also reported experiencing suicide-related imagery when at their most depressed and despairing, in many cases in the form of flash-forwards to imagined future suicidal acts. Interestingly, five of the 10 participants who did not report suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical interview also described prominent imagery related to themes of death and suicide, but in several cases, these images were associated with meanings that seemed to act to reduce the likelihood of subsequent suicidal acts. …”

Suicidal imagery in a previously depressed community sample by Crane, C, Shah, D, Barnhofer, T, Holmes, E

“…Seventeen participants reported prior suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical assessment, and the vast majority of these also reported experiencing suicide-related imagery when at their most depressed and despairing, in many cases in the form of flash-forwards to imagined future suicidal acts. Interestingly, five of the 10 participants who did not report suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical interview also described prominent imagery related to themes of death and suicide, but in several cases, these images were associated with meanings that seemed to act to reduce the likelihood of subsequent suicidal acts. …”

Does mental imagery act as an emotional amplifier in bipolar disorders? by Ng, R

“…Chapter 8 (Study 6) showed that suicidal flash-forwards function as a psychological escape from perceived entrapment and defeat in suicidality. …”