Introduction
Suicide is a psychological and social damage. It refers to a conscious act of self-harm with the intent to die. The strain of psychological conflicts causes people to commit suicide. Four main sources of strain that lead to suicide include value strain, aspiration strain, deprivation strain, and coping strain. Social and psychological studies have indicated the relationship of various factors such as social factors, mental disorders, and biological factors with suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts. Considering that a suicide can lead to the death of the person, the best plan to deal with it is to prevent a suicide attempt by identifying the early warning signs. Therefore, a deep understanding of this phenomenon is necessary in order to provide preventive and control solutions. In this regard, this research aimed to explore the process of suicide attempts in Iranian youth to identify the perceived pathological pattern.

Methods
This is a qualitative study based on the grounded theory approach. The participants, including 23 young people aged 18-35 years in Shiraz, Iran, with a history of suicide attempts during the last six months, were selected via purposeful sampling until reaching theoretical saturation. The exit criteria were acute cognitive disorders that affect the process of speaking and interviewing (such as acute cerebral palsy, dementia, and Alzheimer’s) and the lack of cooperation. To collect data, a semi-structured interview was employed. It included 10 questions set to survey the intended concepts. The data were analysed using Strauss and Corbin’s approach.

Results
In this study, after analysis and coding, 134 concepts, 20 sub-themes, and 10 themes were extracted, which defined the study phenomenon (mental breakdown). Causal conditions leading to this phenomenon included perceived discrimination (comprising social frustration and stagnation) and psychological shock (encompassing emotional mixture and psychological pressure). Facilitating factors included social pressure (broken family, sociological tension, inefficient interpersonal relationships, and social stigma) and individual vulnerability (underlying physical/mental illness and unhealthy lifestyle). Intervening conditions included character armor (emotional and cognitive coping skills), spiritual factors (fear of death, religious beliefs, and worldview), and social support (support from family, friends, and professionals). The strategy adopted by participants was pain avoidance, which included the components of emotional, cognitive, and social escape. The consequence of this process was the “attempt to get free” by having passive and active suicidal behaviors. The paradigmatic model shown in Figure 1 shows the intertwining of the identified factors in the formation of the suicide attempt in Iranian youth.



Conclusion
The results of the present study indicate the important role of emotional, cognitive, and social factors in the process of suicide attempt in Iranian youth. The factors, including negative emotions such as emotional mixture, feeling discriminated, frustration, stagnation, and psychological pressure, can cause an individual to attempt suicide. The findings can be helpful in designing preventive, educational, and treatment methods to reduce the rate of suicide in Iranian youth.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study has ethical approval from Shiraz University (Code: IR.US.PSYEDU.REC.1403.022). The participants were informed about the study objectives and methods, the confidentiality of their information, and their right to withdraw from the study. They signed an informed consent form.

Funding
This article was extracted from the dissertation of the first author at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University. The research was funded by the Iran National Elites Foundation (INEF).

Authors contributions
Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Writing–Original Draft, Data Curation, and Visualization: Fahime Mohamadpour; Formal Analysis, Investigation, Resources, Writing–Review & Editing, Supervision, and Project Administration: Nurallah Mohammadi.

Conflicts of interest
There is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all participants in this research.