Chapter 11: Suicide Prevention

Question 1

What is suicidal ideation?

Answer 1

person is thinking about self-harm

Question 2

Suicide statistics are staggering. Suicide was the ____ leading cause of death in the US, claiming over 47,500 lives

Answer 2

10th

Question 3

Suicide is the ____ leading cause of death among americans 10 to 34 years old

Answer 3

2nd

Question 4

Suicide is the ____ leading cause of death ages 14-24

Answer 4

3rd

Question 5

strongest risk for suicide include

Answer 5

• drug abuse
• aggression
• disruptive behavior
• depression
• social isolation

Question 6

True or false: suicide is rare in older adults

Answer 6

false. ages 65+ have the highest rate of suicide

Question 7

True or false - depression is under diagnosed in the elder population

Answer 7

true, most who completed suicide visited PCP in month prior

Question 8

What techniques can nurses use to assess a patient’s risk for suicide?

Answer 8

SAD PERSONS scale. a score of 6-8 indicates a full emergency psychiatric evaluation/treatment

score of 9+ indicates immediate psychiatric hospitalization

recognize verbal clues - take threats of suicide seriously

Question 9

Nursing interventions for a crisis period: each institution will have their own protocol for suicide _____ and suicide _______

Answer 9

precautions; interventions

Question 10

Keep accurate records of pt behavior, location, mood - documenting every ____ minutes

Answer 10

15

Question 11

A patient on suicide precautions requires ___to___ supervision. the patient will ALWAYS been in the nurse/tech’s _____of_____

Answer 11

one to one; line of sight

Question 12

True or false: a client on suicide precautions is allowed to have glass, metal, silverware, cords, belts, shoelaces, tweezers, razors, plastic bags in their room as long as their under one to one supervision

Answer 12

false; get that shit out of there

Question 13

true or false: if a patient is suicidal its important to discount/dismiss their feelings

Answer 13

false. encourage open communication, where a patient feels safe to discuss feelings

Question 14

true or false: it’s important to encourage the patient to make big decisions during a time of crisis

Answer 14

false. patient is most likely not thinking clearly/logically

Question 15

true or false: suicide typically happens without warning

Answer 15

false, 8/10 people have given definitee clues about suicidal ideation

Question 16

true or false: you cant stop a suicidal person from dying if they are fully intent on dying

Answer 16

false, most are ‘gambling” with death and see it as a cry for help

Question 17

true or false; improvement after severe depression means that the suicidal risk is over

Answer 17

false; most suicides occur within 3 months after beginning “improvement

Question 18

true or false: suicide is inherited

Answer 18

false, suicide by a family member does not increase the risk of similar behavior

Question 19

true or false; all suicidal people are mentally ill

Answer 19

false, they are not necessarily psychotic, unable to see alternate solution

Question 20

true or false: people usually take their ownlives by overdosing on drugs

Answer 20

false; gunshot wounds are leading cause

Question 21

rates of suicide in men increase as a male _____

Answer 21

ages

Question 22

several risk factors put adolescents at risk for suicide including

Answer 22

impulsivity
high risk behavoirs
undiagnosied mood disorders

Question 23

true or false: individuals in the very highest and the lowest social classes have higher suicide rates than those in the middle class

Answer 23

true

Question 24

with regards to ethnicity, statistics show that ________ are at the highest risk for suicide

Answer 24

whites

Question 25

more than 90% of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable ___________ disorder

Answer 25

mental

Question 26

studies have indicated a higher risk for suicide among the _____ community

Answer 26

LGBT

Question 27

egoistic suicide is

Answer 27

the response of an individual who feels seperate and apart from mainstream society

Question 28

altruistic suicide is

Answer 28

someone who is integrated into a group, their allegiance is so strong that the individual will sacrifice his life for the group ie cult

Question 29

anomic suicide is

Answer 29

occurs in response to changes in an individuals life (divorce, job loss) that disrupts feelings of relatedness to the group. person now feels “seperate”

Question 30

when nurses assess a client’s suicide ideation, it is important to identify these three things

Answer 30

thoughts
intentions
behavior

Question 31

what are some long term goals for a suicidal patient

Answer 31

develop and maintain a more positive self-concept
learn effective ways to cope
acheive successful interpersonal relationships
feel accepted by others adn achieve a sense of belonging

Question 33

What are some examples of protective factors

Answer 33

Resilient temperament
Social competency
Skills in problem solving
Connectedness to famil, school, community
Integration in social networks

Question 34

When evaluating a patient for suicide risk what demographics do we assess?

Answer 34

Age, gender, race, marital status, socioeconomic status, occupation, intent, religion, family history