Suicide (12) Flashcards
Name some immutable risks for suicide:
Patient’s history
Family history
Demographics
Cultural/ religious belief about suicide
Personality traits
Name some circumstantial risks for suicide:
Unemployment
Financial difficulties
Relationship difficulties
Physical injury/ illness
Life transitions
Access to lethal means
Name some modifiable risks for suicide:
Drinking/ drug use
Nicotine use
Unstructured time
Perceived stress
Current psychiatric illness
Hopelessness, helplessness
Anxiety, panic attacks, agitation, insomnia
Delusions
What is the “risk triad” composed of?
Ideation, Intention, Plan
What is the rate of suicide in the US? How many attempts and successful attempts a year?
12/100,000
600,000 attempts
30,000 successful attempts
Is suicide common in teens?
Yes, 3rd leading cause in death
T/F: Adult suicide rate decreases after the age of 55
False…it increases substantially
Explain the trends of suicide in the elderly?
Decreases for women and increases for men
Attempts are less frequent but are generally more successful
What gender attempts suicide more often? What gender is more successful?
Women attempts more frequently (usually by less lethal means)
Men are more successful (use more violent means)
Which ethnicity has the highest rate of suicide in the US?
White americans and american indians/ Alaskan natives
How does marital status influence suicide?
Lowest in married (especially if children in home)
Higher rate if separated or divorced
Higher especially if the loss of the partner occurred in the recent past
How does religion influence suicide rates?
Catholics and Islamics might have lower rates than protestants.
May depend more on the degree of orthodoxy rather than the religion itself
How does employment status influence suicide rates?
Rate higher in unemployed
How does type of occupation influence suicide rate?
Rate higher in professionals (doctors, dentists, Police officers, lawyers)
T/F: Female physicians have a higher risk of suicide than any other women
True
