chapter 13: suicide Flashcards
1
Q
suicide
A
an act of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally
- civil rights/right to choose issue
- medical/ethical issue
- generally, suicide is viewed very negatively in our society
2
Q
suicide facts
A
- 12th leading cause of death in the US
- 2nd leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults
- more people die from suicide than homicide
- ration of attempts at suicide to completed suicide is at least 12:1
3
Q
more facts
A
- thinking about suicide does not mean the individual will act on those thoughts; however, anyone who talks about, threatens, or makes a suicide attempt must be taken seriously
- substance abuse is a major risk factor
4
Q
causes
A
- depressive disorder and substance abuse disorders are the primary risk factors
- other psychiatric disorders including anxiety, bipolar, psychosis
- suicide pacts (especially among teenagers), copycat suicides (also young people)
5
Q
Contributors to suicide
A
- hopelessness
- shame
- guilt
- humiliation
- isolation
6
Q
methods
A
- the most common methods of suicide include firearms, hanging, and overdose
- men tend to use firearms and hanging, leading to higher death rate
- women are more likely to use overdose
7
Q
warning signs
A
- verbal threats
- expressions of hopelessness
- prior suicide attempts
- risk taking behaviors
- talking about suicide
- access to lethal meds
8
Q
symptoms
A
- gives personal items away
“cleaning house”
wants a “special friends” to have a particular item - person starts talking about death or becomes preoccupied w/ learning about death
- sudden improvement in mood from previous depressed mood
- person has difficulty sleeping or maintaing a healthy sleep pattern
9
Q
treatment
A
- emergency psychiatric care
- treatment of depression, psychosis, bipolar, substance abse
- suicide hotlines
- most people who think about suicide are ambivalent so they may drop hints to be rescued
- pt along w/ family and friends have a safety plan to identify who to call for help
10
Q
nursing interventions
A
- anyone who threatens or talks about suicide must be taken seriously
- honest, confrontational, communication
- “are you planning to kill yourself”, “how?”, “when?”
- monitor usually every 10-15 minutes in hospital or facility
- identify means to complete self harm and remove those if possible
- maintain safety for patient, yourself, and others
- in a facility, institute suicide precautions
- remove all potential eapons
- medications: be certain the patient has swallowed their medications and is not “pouching” or saving them
11
Q
family suvivors
A
- when someone commits suicide, the loved ones left behind are at high risk for long term distress due to guilt and anger about the suicide
