Suicidal Motivation Scale Test

This self-report questionnaire explores different motives connected with suicidal thinking. The Suicidal Motivation Scale Test contains 35 questions and takes about 7 minutes. Results highlight which motivational themes may be more prominent, helping you reflect on emotional pain, self-blame, meaning, relationships, and hopes for change.

Questions: 357 minutes

Suicidal Motivation Scale Test: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Post-VitalPV

Measures the extent to which suicidal thoughts are driven by beliefs or expectations of improvement, relief, or positive change after death.

example score2/15

2/15Lowexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 2 falls in the Low range, suggesting post-vital beliefs or hopes about relief or improvement after death are not a prominent motive here.

HeteropunitiveH

Measures the extent to which self-destructive thoughts or actions are motivated by a wish to punish or affect others through one’s own harm.

example score11/15

11/15Highexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 11 falls in the High range, suggesting a pronounced tendency for self-destructive impulses to be linked with outwardly directed anger or a desire to impact others.

Self-PunitiveSP

Measures the degree to which suicidal motivation is driven by self-blame, guilt, and a desire for self-punishment.

example score5/15

5/15Lowexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 5 falls in the Low range, suggesting self-punitive motives are present but not a dominant driver compared with other possible motives.

InstrumentalI

Measures the extent to which suicidal thoughts or actions are used as a tool to influence or manipulate others’ reactions.

example score10/15

10/15Moderateexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting instrumental motives are fairly pronounced and may sometimes be used to elicit attention or specific responses from others.

AnestheticA

Measures the extent to which suicidal thoughts are driven by a wish to escape unbearable physical or emotional pain.

example score10/15

10/15Moderateexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency to view suicidal actions as a way to reduce intense suffering, without this motive being at the highest level.

AnomicA

Measures the degree to which suicidal motivation is linked to feelings of meaninglessness, inner emptiness, and loss of life direction.

example score5/15

5/15Lowexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 5 falls in the Low range, suggesting anomic themes like emptiness or loss of meaning are present but not dominant in the motivational profile.

AltruisticA

Measures the extent to which suicidal thoughts are motivated by self-sacrifice intended to help, protect, or relieve others.

example score8/15

8/15Moderateexample score

0 – 5Low

6 – 10Moderate

11 – 15High

A score of 8 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not dominant tendency to view self-harm as a way to benefit or save others.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Clinicians treating at-risk teens

46%OF USERS

Psychologists and psychiatrists use it with adolescents who have attempted suicide or show clear suicidal behavior to clarify the motives driving it and plan support.

Crisis and hospital teams

33%OF USERS

Staff in emergency, inpatient, and crisis settings apply it during follow-up after an incident to understand what fueled the attempt and what may prevent повторение.

Counselors in schools and youth centers

21%OF USERS

School psychologists and youth counselors use it with identified high-risk students to map motivational factors behind suicidal thoughts and tailor interventions.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

PostvitalP

You?

Average9.7

Typical rangeTypical7.5 – 11.8

Possible0 – 15

HeteropunitiveH

You?

Average9.6

Typical rangeTypical6.9 – 12.3

Possible0 – 15

AutopunitiveA

You?

Average8.6

Typical rangeTypical6.6 – 10.5

Possible0 – 15

InstrumentalI

You?

Average7.6

Typical rangeTypical4.9 – 10.3

Possible0 – 15

AnestheticA

You?

Average9.6

Typical rangeTypical6.9 – 12.2

Possible0 – 15

AnomicA

You?

Average7.1

Typical rangeTypical4.5 – 9.8

Possible0 – 15

AltruisticA

You?

Average4.8

Typical rangeTypical2.8 – 6.7

Possible0 – 15

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please respond to each statement using one of the following four response options: 1) “Yes” — if you fully agree with the statement. 2) “Partly” — if the statement does not fully reflect your experiences. 3) “Unsure” — if you are not certain whether the statement applies to you. 4) “No” — if you are confident that the statement does not reflect your experiences.

- Yes
- Partly
- Unsure
- No
- Yes
- Partly
- Unsure
- No
- Yes
- Partly
- Unsure
- No

These are 3 of the 35 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Suicidal Motivation Scale Test - Description and methodology of the test

suicidal risk

People who want to understand the motives behind suicidal thoughts may find the Suicidal Motivation Scale Test useful for structured self-reflection. As a suicidal motivation questionnaire, it considers whether these thoughts are linked with unbearable pain, guilt, anger, meaninglessness, concern for others, or imagined change after death. The profile can help a respondent notice which themes are most prominent and decide what experiences deserve closer attention.

What This Test Measures

People using it for self-reflection may recognize several motives at once, so the profile separates functions rather than assigning one explanation. The dimensions are:

Heteropunitive (0-15) reflects motivation to punish others through one’s own self-destructive behavior.
Self-Punitive (0-15) indicates self-blame, guilt, and self-punishment.
Anesthetic (0-15) indicates wanting unbearable pain to stop.
Post-Vital (0-15) indicates hope for relief or improvement after death.
Instrumental (0-15) reflects using suicidal thoughts or behavior to influence others or elicit a reaction.
Anomic (0-15) indicates emptiness, alienation, and lost life direction.
Altruistic (0-15) indicates self-sacrifice imagined as helping loved ones.

The bands are Low 0-5, Moderate 6-10, and High 11-15. The suicidal motivation assessment is best read as a relative pattern of themes, not a complete account of a person’s situation. These dimensions can overlap in one profile.

Methodology and Evidence Base

The questionnaire uses brief first-person statements addressing themes such as death, suffering, guilt, anger, burden, meaning, relationships, or imagined change. The respondent chooses Yes, Partly, Unsure, or No; some items display the same options as 1-4. This format records agreement or uncertainty without requiring an explanation.

Scoring organizes answers into seven dimensions, each reported on a 0-15 range. Suicidal motivation test results show which themes receive greater or lesser endorsement within this questionnaire, rather than producing one overall motive.

The online questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the published Suicidal Motivation Test described by Vagin in 1999, but that relationship does not establish it as a standardized adaptation of the instrument. Later studies by Senkevich, Oreshkina, and Orlova connect motivational patterns with coping and existential crisis, while Shchetinina, Shchelkova, Chernov, and Kostyuk examine suicidal motivation alongside suicidal activity after a first psychotic episode. These are related studies on suicidal motivation in different contexts; they do not validate or standardize this questionnaire or its result bands.

Self-report scores may change with current distress, self-awareness, and candor, and no clinical cutoffs or norms are stated; the profile is therefore a structured aid for reflection rather than a diagnosis.

Author: Edwin S. Shneidman

Literature:

Vagin, Yuri R. (1999). Prevention of Suicidal and Addictive Behavior in Adolescents. Perm: Perm State Medical Academy, 103 pp.
Senkevich, Lyudmila, Alena Oreshkina, and Elena Orlova. (2019). Features of the Motivational Sphere and Coping Strategies of Mature Suicides in the Context of Their Existential Crisis. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, vol. 374, pp. 394-402.
Shchetinina, Evgeniya Vladimirovna, Olga Yuryevna Shchelkova, Nikita Vladimirovich Chernov, and Georgy Petrovich Kostyuk. (2025). Suicidal Activity and Suicidal Motivation among Patients after Their First Psychotic Episode. Psychology in Education, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 256-274. 10.33910/2686-9527-2025-7-2-256-274

Updated: 2025-10-02