Intrusive Thoughts and Mental Imagery in Suicidality: Uncovering Transdiagnostic Mechanisms in Mental Disorders
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 87
Special Issue Editors
Interests: suicide prevention; mental imagery; intrusive thoughts; working mechanisms; psychological interventions; psychotherapy; clinical psychology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, titled ‘Intrusive Thoughts and Mental Imagery in Suicidality: Uncovering Transdiagnostic Mechanisms in Mental Disorders’.
Intrusive thoughts and mental imagery are increasingly recognized as critical transdiagnostic factors in mental health research. These distressing cognitive experiences, which can manifest as vivid and emotionally charged mental images, are prevalent across various psychological disorders, including depression, PTSD, OCD, and panic disorders. A growing body of research highlights the role of suicidal mental imagery, which may increase the likelihood of suicidal behaviors due to their emotional intensity and perceived realism. Studies suggest that up to 73.56% of clinical populations report experiencing suicidal mental imagery, with key risk factors including trauma history, chronic illness, and social isolation. Furthermore, suicidal mental imagery has been shown to differentiate individuals who engage in suicidal behaviors from those with mere ideation, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.
Thus, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of these phenomena by exploring their underlying cognitive, emotional, and neurobiological processes. By examining these mechanisms, we aim to clarify how intrusive suicidal thoughts—both verbal and imagery-based—contribute to the onset, maintenance, and escalation of suicidality across different clinical populations.
We welcome empirical studies, theoretical reviews, and clinical perspectives that address topics including, but not limited to, the following:
- The cognitive, affective, and neurobiological mechanisms linking intrusive thoughts and mental imagery to suicidality;
- Transdiagnostic frameworks that conceptualize intrusive cognitions and imagery as shared factors across mental disorders;
- Experimental and longitudinal studies investigating the impact of intrusive thoughts and mental imagery on suicide risk;
- Novel intervention strategies targeting intrusive thoughts and mental imagery to mitigate suicide risk;
- Advances in the measurement and assessment of suicide-related mental imagery and intrusive cognitions.
We look forward to receiving your submissions and collectively advancing research in this critical area of mental health.
Dr. Jaël S. van Bentum
Dr. Sarah Brown
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- suicide prevention
- suicide behaviors
- suicidal thoughts
- intrusive thoughts
- intrusions
- mental imagery
- assessment
- interventions
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