Varcarolis: Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Chapter 24: Suicide
MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. A student has committed suicide. Which statement(s) about those left behind after suicide is accurate? a. | A suicide makes survivors more conscious of risk factors and more motivated to reduce risk in themselves and others, leading to a reduced risk of suicide in survivor groups. | b. | The first few weeks after a suicide are the most difficult and are when survivors are at highest risk; the risk then returns quickly to its pre-suicide level as time passes. | c. | All survivors are at increased risk, should be assessed for risk at intervals after their loss, and would benefit from ongoing support primary intervention to reduce
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Which of these statements about suicide is accurate? a. | The majority of persons who attempt suicide have given overt or covert indications of their intentions to others. | b. | A background in health care has a protective effect, leading to a lower rate of suicide among physicians and nurses than in the general public. | c. | Most persons with previous suicide attempts survived because they did not truly intend to die; they are at lower risk than those making their first attempt. | d. | Use of a low-lethality means or likelihood of being discovered in time to prevent death are merely suicide gestures, not genuine attempts. |
ANS: A Most persons who later attempt suicide have given some indication of being at risk, of having ideation or intent related to suicide. The suicide rate among physicians and nurses is higher than in the general population; their special knowledge of pharmacology and physiology can make attempts more likely to be lethal. Most people who complete suicide have made at least one previous attempt, and a history of prior attempts is one of the strongest predictors of future risk. Some attempts may appear unlikely to have succeeded from the outset, because the means was one of low lethality (e.g., choking oneself with socks wrapped around the neck) or because circumstances would have led to
Stimulation takes a big part of an individual’s life, causing the mental health to think of inadequate attempts of suicide. Statics from Lifeline’s 2012 Stress Poll says average humans stress on thoughts about the future (51%) and has continued to be the biggest contributors in suicides. Many people believe that suicide victims are infested with lies and don’t take caution to suicidal individuals. The National Institute of Mental Health have aware the citizens of United States in 2010 by warning “Most suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress, not harmless bids for attention. A person who appears suicidal should not be left alone and needs immediate mental-health treatment. Studies showed that a type of psychotherapy called cognitive therapy reduced the rate of repeated suicide attempts by 50 percent during a year of follow-up6.” In our nation, many suicidal citizens are constantly trying to be accepted into modern society, this loses moderation and the inspiration to live every day. This is some of the many notes of individuals taking their own lives by over thinking the future and present stimulation:
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a fact sheet of statistics on suicide in the United States. In 2007, it is reported that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death. Furthermore, for every suicide committed, eleven were attempted. A total of 34,598 deaths occurred from suicide with an overall rate of 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. (NIMH, 2010). Risk factors were also noted on this report and listed “depression and other mental disorders, or a substance abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than ninety percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors (NIMH, 2010).”
Suicide does not generally come without warning. Almost always, persons considering it show symptoms or provide clues to their intent. It is important, however, for crisis workers to know how to read these and be able to distinguish between myth and reality. (Kanel, 2003, p. 76)
Polytech High School has experienced four deaths among students all within one month in the year of 2012. The most recent death was a 17-year-old male on February 15, 2012. This increase in suicides among this particular age group has generated many questions both from the community as well as researchers. According to WBOC, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stepped in to get a better understanding of why there has been increase of suicides and why the increase in this particular age group. A common factor among all four fatal cases were that all four individuals suffered from depression, with strong implications that the depression may have went unaddressed and untreated (Crosby et al., 2013).
The Crisis Centers will follow-up with any individual at imminent risk of suicide within 48-hours of discharge from a partnering emergency department or who was referred from a crisis center to a partnering emergency department.
Suicide risk assessment is complex and challenging we need to look at the following: 1) suicide thoughts or behaviors may be an attempt to escape distress rather than a direct desire to seek out death, 2) the distinction between wanting to escape vs. wanting to die may create opportunities for intervention and 3) each person may have their own specific reasons for escape or distress that may fluctuate over time (Granello, 2010).
I plan on being a Naturopathic Physician with an emphasis on Mental Health. I feel like it will be very important to work on suicide prevention for patients in that setting, because I will most likely be seeing patients with more risk factors for suicide. It will also be important to focus on ensuring that I am protecting myself and fellow workers. The first step I will take towards protecting my patients, even those not being treated for mental health concerns, would be to ensure that I am screening them for any suicidal thoughts or tendencies. Taking this step during a clinical appointment is important because most patients see their primary care physician within the three months before they kill themselves (M. Class 2/6). Naturopathic appointments
2. Suicidal Intent is typically transient. Of those who attempt suicide but are stopped, less than 4 percent go on to kill themselves in the next five years; less than 11 percent will commit suicide over the next 35 years.
Although higher prevalence may occur in some countries, there are generally no cultural associations. Families of suicide victims will often state they cannot recall much leading up to the death or that the individual was never really that sad. Unfortunately, suicide is often an outcome of extreme mental anguish without the ability or desire to carry on with normal life expectations. While not all reasons can point back to preventative measures or risk factors, there are certain issues to be aware of when looking at risk associated with an individual. Risk factors
What happens to the family members that are left behind? It is selfish and cowardly to leave a spouse or children behind. People often think that their family will be better off without them, but their family ends up heart broken and devastated. Feeling like a failure or a burden often has a role in someone’s decision to take their life. Committing suicide destroys families, and causes more problems than before which is why it is incredibly selfish to do. When someone commits suicide, it means that they are deciding to give up. They will not get to see what the future holds or what have could have
Suicide attempts can result in several both negative mental and physical effects. The effects that are experienced depend on the method when they attempt suicide. These effects can include total organ failure, specific organ failure, brain damage, paralysis, coma and death. Suicide attempts and behaviors usually leave behind a great amount of devastating effects not only for the victim, but for the people that are or were a part of their life. Suicide survivors are the ones that are left behind after a successful suicide attempt. Survivors can also experience a wide range of effects after their loved one’s death. These effects can include anger, pain, abandonment, hopelessness, self-blame, confusion, prolonged or delayed grief, guilt, depression, and having to face the social humiliation of suicide. Dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide can be painful, shocking, unexpected, and can greatly impact their grieving
There is at least 113 suicides each day or 1 every 13 minutes. Suicide among males is the seventh leading cause of death and the fourteenth leading cause in females. Most suicides are with a firearm and are carried out with a “ Saturday night special”. (Dilaura,Cynthia DiLaura) “More than 90 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal. “ (Brady Campaign) There are a number of reasons why suicide occurs. Stress is the number one cause among our youth, bullies, peer pressure, depression, and abuse. 41,100 people committed suicide in the United States in 2013. Our young teens today does not take time to look deeper into there problem and to seek out a better solution. They are looking for a quick fix but not realizing once the trigger is pulled the result is final with no turning back. Most people who has attempted suicide is more likely to try a second attempt and most have an underlying mental illness. There is many warming that someone may be in a suicide crisis. We most learn how to see things through their eyes. No matter what one is facing in life or the difficult that lie ahead of them Nothing is worth taken your own
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” - Phil Donahue. As a complex, tragic public health issue, suicide occurs in men significantly more often than in women. Suicide is simply defined as the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, however, the factors that play into a person making that decision are anything but simple. The most evident and severe effect of suicide is the loss of a valuable, meaningful human life. According to Harvard School of Public Health (n.d.), suicide affects parents, children, siblings, friends, lovers, and spouses; the loss to society is psychological, spiritual, and financial. People who lose a loved one to suicide often experience devastating effects and deal with a complex grief. These
A few suicides are the aftereffect of indiscreet choices in light of a circumstance that appears to be miserable such as loss of a vocation, separate, or a separation with one 's better half or beau. (May, Schultze Par. 2) These reasons for suicide are not the genuine causes of the suicide. Maybe they are triggers for suicide in a person experiencing an emotional instability. Suicide endeavors activated by real frustrations, for example sentimental dismissal, issues with companions, or coming up short a major exam, are normal among discouraged young people, who have not had the educational experience to understand that these wounds mend with time. (Par. 2)
“Most suicide attempts do not result in death. Many of these attempts are done in a way that makes rescue possible. These attempts are often a cry for help” (DeMaso, 2015, para. 3).