WHAT IS SUICIDE
Is a purposeful act of killing oneself or taking one’s own life.
WHAT IS ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
It is a nonfatal self inflicted injurious behaviour with the intention to die as a result of the behaviour.
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF SUICIDE
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1. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
a. Loss of a loved one
b. Loss of relationship (divorce or separation)
c. Suicide of a loved one or a peer.
d. Loss of status or respect
e. Stigma associated with mental illness or help seeking.
f. Neglect, abuse etc
2 SOCIAL FACTORS
Under this topic I’ll group it into
a. Stressful life event(Acute experiences)
b. Economic Stressors ( Ongoing difficulties)
Under Stressful life events(Acute experiences)
a. Break ups and other threats to important relationships
b. Events such as sack from one’s job or school, arrested or evicted.
Under Economic Stressors( Ongoing difficulties)
a. Unemployment or underemployment
b. Poor housing
c. Debt or poor finances
d. Inability to meet family obligations
3. LEGAL PROBLEMS OR DIFFICULTIES
a. Law suits
b. Criminal offences and incarceration
4. SOCIAL SUPPORT ISSUES
a. Barriers to accessing mental health care.
b. Poor interpersonal relationship (parents, children)
c. Geographical Isolation from a support system.
5. MENTAL DISORDERS
a. Mood or affective disorders ( Major depression, bipolar, post partum depression)
b. Schizophrenia
c. Sleeping disorders Example is Insomnia
d. Personality disorders( borderline and antisocial personality disorder)
e. Substance Used disorders( Marijuana, alcohol etc)
f. Eating Disorders ( Anorexia nervosa)
g. Anxiety disorders( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, panic anxiety disorders )
6. MEDICAL CONDITIONS
a. HIV/AIDS
b. Terminal Disease( Cancer etc)
c. History of head injury.
d. Substance intoxication
e. Substance Withdrawal ( Alcohol, Cocaine)
f. Worsening of chronic illness
g. Use of prescribed medications that has increased rates of suicides.
7. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
a. Chronic pain
b. Functional limitations
c. Insomnia
8. PRE-EXISTING AND NON-MODIFIABLE FACTORS.
a. Age (Young and Elderly)
b. Gender( Women mostly have the thought of suicide but men have high risk of committing suicide and are mostly successful than women)
c. Marital Status (Widowed, divorce, separated)
d. Family history of suicide or attempted suicide, child maltreatment and abuse, neglect etc.
e. Same sex orientation (lesbianism and gays)
f. Lower educational level
g. Cultural or religious beliefs such as a belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal or ongoing problems.
h. Unsafe media portrayals on suicide.
TYPES OF SUICIDE
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We have three (3) types
a. Altruistic suicide
b. Egoistic Suicide
c. Anomic Suicide
✍🏽. Altruistic Suicide : It is where an individual is excessively integrated into a group and feels that the success of the group revolves around him or her and therefore can take up his life or sacrifice his life for the survival of the group.
✍🏽. Egoistic Suicide : This is where an individual fails to integrate into a society and therefore likely to commit suicide.
✍🏽. Anomic Suicide : This is where an abrupt changes in life disrupt an individual relatedness to a group and therefore is likely to commit suicide.
📌 NOW LETS PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING.
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WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE
a. Jumping from a height
b. Deliberate Drowning in water
c. Piercing of oneself with knife
d. Deliberate burning of oneself
e. Poisoning of oneself
f. Hanging of oneself
g. Cutting of one own veins.
h. Electrocuting of oneself
i. Reckless driving
PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF SUICIDE
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1. SOCIAL CONTEXT AND SUPPORT SYSTEM
a. Strong interpersonal bond to family, health care providers and the Community.
b. Intact marriage
c. Reasonably safe and stable environment
d. Being employed.
2. PERSONAL TRAIT
a. Help seeking
b. Good impulse control
c. Good skills in problem solving, coping and conflict resolution
d. Sense of belonging, sense of identity and good self esteem
e. Cultural, spiritual and religious beliefs about the value and meaning of life that discourage suicide.
f. Optimistic outlook. That is identification of future goals
g. Constructive use of leisure time
h. Limited access to lethal means among people at risk
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
a. Support through ongoing medical and psychiatric health care relationships
b. Effective medical care for mental, physical and substance use disorders
c. Good treatment engagement.
🚩SIGNS OF THE RISK OF SUICIDE
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a. Threatening to kill or hurt oneself
b. Looking for ways to kill or hurt oneself or talking about suicide.
c. Talking or writing about deaths, dying or suicide especially when its unusual with the person.
d. Engaging in reckless or risky behaviours
e. Expressing the feeling of being trapped or thus there is no way out
f. Withdrawal from friends, family or the community
g. Increase use of alcohol or other hard drugs.
h. Giving away priced possessions
i. Saying goodbye to family and friends
j. Abnormal sleep pattern. Example, not sleeping at all or sleeping excessively
k. Sudden change in mood especially from a state of sadness to happiness after a long period of sadness
INDICATION FOR HOSPITALIZATION OR SIGNS THAT WILL MAKE YOU DETERMINE THAT SOMEONE WITH SUICIDE NEEDS HOSPITALIZATION
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NOTE: SUICIDE CASES ARE MANAGED IN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS AND PSYCHIATRIC HOMES.
a. When the patient is psychotic. Example, when illusions, delusions and hallucinations has set in. Here the person claims to see unusual things, hear voices, misinterpretation of seen objects etc.
b. When the patient expresses persistent thought, plans or intends about suicide
c. When there is no support available at home
d. Current impulsive behaviour, severe agitation or refusal of help is evident
e. Violent attempt, premedicated or precautions were taken to avoid being rescued.
⚖WARNING : This is an intellectual property of
KWAME AGYEI BANAHENE. DON’T EDIT; REMOVE or ADD. Just share or forward as posted! PLAGIARISM is a crime.
