Known for Suicide research | ||
Born November 18, 1979 (age 37) ( 1979-11-18 ) Fields Psychology, suicidology Institutions University of Southern Mississippi Alma mater Florida State University Thesis The Role of Urgency in Maladaptive Coping Behaviors (2011) | ||
Michael David Anestis (born November 18, 1979) is an American clinical psychologist and the Nina Bell Suggs professor of psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he is the director of the Suicide and Emotion Dysregulation Lab.
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Education
Anestis received his B.A. from Yale University in 2002 and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida State University in 2007 and 2011, respectively. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled The Role of Urgency in Maladaptive Coping Behaviors.
Research
Anestis' research pertains to multiple topics in the field of clinical psychology, including suicide and emotional dysregulation in people with psychiatric disorders, as well as suicide more generally. He has also researched the relationship between gun control laws and suicide rates. For example, in a 2015 study, he found that laws prohibiting open carrying of guns in Oklahoma and California reduced suicide rates in the year after each was passed. In 2017, he led another study showing that suicide rates declined in states with universal background check and waiting period laws compared to states without such laws. He has also co-authored research showing that military personnel who have undergone basic training have more suicide capability than those who have not, in line with his belief that impulsivity and capability are both important to the risk of completed suicide.