it's a thin line between suicide and parasuicide lack of adequate planning due to a hurried decision made in an impulsive suicidal state not caring about whether the suicide attempt works or not surviving a suicide attempt that would ordinarily have worked whatever the reason for the distinction between suicide and parasuicide the attempter is likely to have accepted death the end of all pain as a possible outcome to some degree choosing death and flirting with death both have death as a possible solution to pain this is not always the case with self harm a fairly broad blanket term thinkerboy