Suicide
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world
Not officially classified as a mental disorder
But it is a symptom of many mental disorders
Know estimates and statistics provided in chapter
Know associated terminology (i.e., parasuicides)
Know reasons that make it difficult to obtain accurate figures on suicide rates and why investigators believe that estimates are often low
What Is Suicide?
Definition:
An intentioned death – a self-inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct, and conscious effort to end one’s life
Please familiarize yourself with the 4 kinds of suicide seekers in the chapter.
Know other associated behaviors:
subintentional death
self-injury
self-mutilation
How Is Suicide Studied?
Know the two different strategies used by researchers that want to better understand suicide:
Retrospective analysis
Survivors
Patterns and Statistics
Researchers have gathered statistics regarding the social contexts in which suicides take place
Differences between countries
Role of social environment and marital status
Gender differences
Racial and ethnic differences
Differences and rates related to age
What Triggers a Suicide?
Suicidal acts may be connected to recent events or current conditions in a person’s life
Know about the common triggers
stressful events
mood and thought changes
alcohol and other drug use
mental disorders
modeling
Treatment and Suicide
Treatment of suicidal persons falls into two categories:
Treatment after suicide has been attempted
Suicide prevention
Treatments Used After Suicide Attempts
Most victims need medical care
Psychotherapy or drug therapy may begin once a person is medically stable
Therapy goals:
Keep the patient alive
Reduce psychological pain
Help them achieve a nonsuicidal state of mind and a sense of hope
Guide them to develop better ways of handling stress
Unfortunately, even after trying to kill themselves, many suicidal people fail to receive systematic follow-up care
Suicide Prevention
Examples: suicide prevention programs and suicide hot lines
Both provide crisis intervention
Crisis intervention is better suited to address acute symptoms
Longer-term therapy is often needed for most
Know about the general approach utilized in these programs
Also know about other ways mentioned in the chapter to prevent suicide
Do Suicide Prevention
Programs Work?
It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs
Prevention programs do seem to reduce the number of suicides among those high-risk people who do call
Many have argued for more effective public education about suicide, as education is the ultimate form of suicide prevention