L10: Psychology of Suicidal Behaviour Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is the prevalence of suicidal behaviour? 6
- more than 700.000 ppl die to suicide per year
- in nl, around 1850, 5 every day
- 4th leading cause of death among 15-29y olds
- 77% of global suicides occur in low- and middle income countries
- ingestion of pesticides, hanging & firearms are most common methods
- more men than women die by suicide
How can we identify specific groups at risk for suicide using methodology? 2
- use disaggregated rates at least by sex, age, and method
- provides info necessary for understanding the issue & allows us to tailor prevention strategies
What are some trends in suicide prevalence? 4
- higher rates in men than women (male female paradox)
- more in low income countries, but percentage wise more in high income (vulnerability paradox)
- more in under age of 50y
- decrease in last 20years, everywhere but in americas
What could explain the male female paradox in suicide? 3
- men are more aggressive so use more deadly methods of suicide
- worse at talking about feelings
- cultural aspect (that there is an image that men dont do attempts they do suicides)
What are the myths on suicide? 9
- Asking about suicide puts an idea into someone’s head
- Most people die by suicide during the Christmas holidays
- Someone thinking of suicide wants to die
- The media influences the number of suicides
- Antidepressants increase the risk of suicide
- Artists have an increased risk of suicide
- Suicide runs in the family
- Women mostly talk about suicide, men die more often
- Suicide rate rises during an economic recession
What do we mean by suicidal behaviour/ suicide/ suicide attempt?
suicide: the act of deliberately killing oneself
suicide attempt: any non-fatal suicidal beahviour, intentional self inflicted poisoning, injury, or self harm, which may or may not have a fatal intent or outcome
suicidal behaviour: range of behaviours that include thoughts about suicide (or ideation), suicide plans, attempting suicide, and suicide itself
What are the risk factors for non-fatal suicidal behaviours? 6
- being a woman
- being young
- being unmarried
- being socially disadvantaged (low income & education, or unemployed)
- presence of a previous psychiatric disorder (tho most psychiatric patients never become suicidal)
- not feeling like part of a group
What, according to the Oconnor paper, are the main groups of factors associated with suicide risk? 4
- personality & individual differences
- cognitive factors
- social factors
- negative life events
What personality & individual differences factors play a role in suicidal behaviour risk/protection? 7
higher risk if
- hopelessness
- impulsivity
- perfectionism
- neuroticism
- low extraversion
- optimism
- resilience
What cognitive factors play a role in suicidal behaviour risk/protection? 15
higher risk if
- cognitive rigidity/inflexibility (so think suicide is only option)
- rumination
- thought suppression
- autobio memory biases (cant remember autobio memories well)
- lack of perceived belongingness
- perceived burdensomeness
- fearlessness about injury/death
- pain insensitivity
- difficulties problem solving & coping
- agitation
- implicit associations with death & self
- attentional biases towards suicide & death
- impaired positive future thinking on future & goal adjustment
- little desire to live
- defeat & entrapment
What social factors play a role in suicidal behaviour risk/protection? 3
increased risk if
- social transmission (history of suicide/suicidal behaviour around you)
- modelling (ex in media)
- social isolation
What negative life events play a role in suicidal behaviour risk/protection? 5
increased risk if
- childhood adversities
- traumatic life events in adulthood
- physical illness
- other interpersonal stressors
- psychophysiological stress response
What are the difficulties associated with research on suicidal beahviour? 5
- a lot of suicidal behaviour is invisible (happens at home) -> challenges with registration
- suicide rates vary between countries from 0-44 per 100k
- of the whos 170countries, 80 provide good quality data
- lots of differences between these countries!!
- suicide often miscoded due to stigma
What is the vulnerability paradox?
the countries that at a national level have the best protective factors against suicide (like health system, good education, safety)
tend to have higher suicide rates per 100k
What could explain the vulnerability paradox? 3
in more developed countries theres:
- more individualized societies
- more good counting & stats on the figures
- we die less by other things
What has been the change in suicide rates 2000-2019? 7
- absolute figures: reduction from 883k to 703k
- age standardized suicide rate reduced by 36%
- 17% reduction eastern mediterranean region
- 47% reduction in EU region
- 49% reduction in western pacific
- in americas, increase by 17%
in netherlands suicide rates have been stable since in 2013
What are some suicide prevention strategies on the societal & community levels? 2
- societal level: awareness campaings
- community level: focus on discriminated groups
How do we measure how many suicide attempts are happening? 2
- from medical records
- self reports in surveys of community residents (NEMESIS)
What are the methodological challenges w registring suicide attempts? 7
- changing survey instruments
- changing samples
- time-frame might change ppls attempts
- literacy of sample
- different languages
- stigma
- fluctuation of suicidal behaviour over time
What is NEMESIS II? 3
- large longitudinal national study on occurence of mental health problem in NL
- different instrument used in most recent wave: for the first time suicidal behaviour was measured as separate topic, not as part of depression section
- asks in an indirect way about suicdality
What were the nemesis II findings? 2+2+2
- suicidal thoughts: 8.3
- suicide attempt: 2.2
- of the ppl w suicidal thoughts, 58% had depression
- the other way around: 26% of ppl w depression had suicidal thoughts
- 70% of ppl w histroy of suicide attempt also had depression
- other way around: 8.4% of ppl w depression also had suicide attempt
What is the goethe/werchter effect? and papageno effect?
that media can affect suicidality: like any positive attention to suicide (idealization)
(13 reasons why, when celebrity dies, when method is mentioned)
papageno: some media can also have positive effect if character overcomes it
What are some important strategic goals in the national agenda for suicide prevention? 7
- dare & learn to talk about suicide
- train professionals
- invest in suicide prevention in the neighbourhood
- increase reach of specific risk groups (like middle aged men)
- improve care by collaboration between professionals, loved ones & ppl w lived experiences
- limiting access to means (like fences around railways)
- develop national learning system (learn from data)
What are the different theoretical models of suicidal behaviour? 4
- Durkheim wrote on societal role of suicide
- Baumeister: suicide as escape from self
- interpersonal theory of suicidal behaviour
- integrated motivational volitional model of suicidal behaviour
