Kristin BeaucageSUICIDE

suicide ideation: thoughts of engaging in behavior intended to end one's life

suicide plan: the formulation of a specific method through which one intends to die

suicide attempt: engagement in potentially self-injurious behavior in which there is at least some intent to die.

SOME STATISTICS ON SUICIDE

In 2010 around 500,000 people were hospitalized for suicide attempts and 38,364 suicides were reported

It is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans and someone in the U.S. dies from suicide every 13.7 minutes.

Between 1952 and 1995, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled.

Over half of all suicides occur in adult men, ages 25 to 65.

More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and infl uenza, and chronic lung disease, combined.

Many people have some of these risk factors but do not attempt suicide. Suicide is not a normal response to stress. It is however, a sign of extreme distress, not a harmless bid for attention .

Men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women, but women are more likely to attempt it. Men tend to use deadlier methods, such as fi rearms or suff ocation, while women are more likely to attempt suicide by poisoning.

Children and young people are at risk for suicide. Year after year, suicide remains one of the top three leading causes of death for young people ages 15 to 24.

White males age 85 and older consistently have the highest suicide rate than any other age and ethnic group. As they get older they suff er from more health problems and feel helpless. As losses of friends and loved ones accumulate, they may feel depressed and suff er from social isolation. Their sense of responsibil ity within their community diminishes.

In the month prior to their suicide, 75% of elderly persons had visited a physician.

MORE STATS…

Depression, other mental disorders, or substance abuse disorders

A prior suicide attempt Family history of a mental

disorder or substance abuse Family history of suicide Family violence, including

physical or sexual abuse Having guns or other

fi rearms in the home Incarceration, being in

prison or jail Being exposed to others'

suicidal behavior, such as that of family members, peers, or media fi gures.

SUICIDE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. PEOPLE OF ALL GENDERS, AGES, AND ETHNICITIES ARE AT RISK. THESE

ARE THE MAIN RISK FACTORS FOR SUICIDE:

American Indians and Alaska Natives tend to have the highest rate of suicides largely due to community isolation and lack of opportunities available to gain skills and advance in society.

Non-Hispanic whites commit suicide at more than twice the rate of African-Americans, while Hispanics tend to have the lowest rate of suicides.

Socioeconomic and cultural similaritiesTied by the bonds of faith and familyIsolation vs. Community

THE POWER OF BELONGING

WHY IS SUICIDE SO TRAGIC?

Suicide is an escape from pain. Sometimes it is physical, but most times it is emotional.

Even if untreated, depression will go away eventually.

Permanent solution to what is usually a temporary problem.

Casts long shadows on loved ones who are left to wonder (especially children).

90% or more of people who die by suicide had a treatable mental disorder at the time of their deaths

Most who commit suicide are not insane or out of touch with reality, but their thoughts refl ect the narrowing of options they believe are available to help them reconcile their problems. They see no other way out.

Severe stress underlies most suicides and any time after an “exit event” is a high risk time.

Lack of problem-solving skil ls and coping mechanisms.

Armed Forces LGBT

SUPPORT SYSTEMS MATTER

About 20% of people who die by suicide

have made a prior suicide attempt, and

clinical studies have confirmed that such

prior attempts increase a person’s risk for

subsequent suicide death Postmortem studies of the brains

of people who have died by suicide have shown a number of

visible differences in the brains of people who died by suicide compared to those who died from other causes.

This research has also identified neurobiological impairments related to depression and other underlying mental disorders, as well as to acute or prolonged stressors.

Psychodynamic theories: Depression is anger turned inward at an internal representation of lost love object. Suicide, then, is when that anger turns murderous and self-destructive.

Freud-suicide is motivated by “death instinct” or desire to return to tension-free life before birth

Motivated by personal expectancies that they’ll be missed or survivors will feel guilty for having mistreated them…”I’ll show them” or “they wont have to worry about me anymore”

Don’t grasp that they won’t be able to come back and say “I told you so,” they’ll just be dead.

Social contagion-spreading of suicides in a community due to publicity or modeling eff ects, romanticizing suicide as heroic courage; when other deaths sensationalized other teens expect their deaths to have meaningful eff ect on community.

VIEWPOINTS ON SUICIDE

Assisted suicide Terminal illness

Abuse/PTSD Religious or political

suicides

IS SUICIDE EVER JUSTIFIED?

WARNING SIGNS

Warning signs for suicide include getting rid of possessions, drafting a will or buying a cemetery plot, or doing something like purchasing a gun despite previous lack of interest in firearms.

Those who have decided on suicide seem to suddenly be at peace and it is often times misinterpreted as a sign of hope. In reality the person is relieved knowing they won’t have to contend with life’s problems anymore.

Behavioral clues like this can be harder to pick up on. Pay attention to your loved ones.

If someone you know is considering suicide…

Do not leave him or her alone.

Try to get your loved one to seek immediate help from his or her doctor or the nearest hospital emergency room, or call 911.

Remove any access he or she may have to fi rearms or other potential tools for suicide, including medications.

If you are in crisis…

Call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at  

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The service is available to anyone and all calls are confi dential.

GET HELP

REFERENCES

Key research findings. (n.d.). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/key-research-findings

Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2010). Mood disorders and suicide. Abnormal psychology in a changing world (7th ed., pp. 247-287). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Recommendations for reporting on suicide. (n.d.). NIMH RSS. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/recommendations-for-reporting-on-suicide.shtml

Suicide in America: Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). NIMH. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-america/index.shtml