Reasons for Living

Reasons for Living (RFL) are reasons that persons identify for staying alive when otherwise considering suicide, including elements of life such as beliefs and values, interpersonal relationships, and socio-cultural and religious/spiritual concerns. Hence, they are specifically linked to the concept of resilience to suicidality. Aims of this chapter are (1) to provide a broad overview of the link between RFL and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, focusing on the different scales developed for assessing RFL; and (2) to describe specific therapeutic strategies for suicide prevention connected to RFL enhancement.