chapter 24 suicide

Question 1

lethality

Answer 1

indicates how quickly a person would die by that mode

higher risk methods or hard methods:

• using a gun
• jumping off a high place
• hanging
• poisoning with carbon monoxide
• staging a car crash

lower isk methods or soft methods:

• slashing one’s wrists
• inhaling natural gas
• ingesting pills

Question 2

parasuicide

Answer 2

a self-injury that appears to have clear intent to cause bodily harm or death

Question 3

postvention

Answer 3

tertiary intervention; interventions with the family and friends of a person who has commited suicide

Question 4

primary intervention

Answer 4

includes activities that provide support information and education to prevent suicide

Question 5

psychological autopsies

Answer 5

retrospective reviews of the deceased person’s life within several months of death to establish likely diagnoses at the time of death

Question 6

SAD PERSONS scale

Answer 6

simple and practical guide for triaging potentially suicidal pts, particulary in an emergency department environment

if the pt scores in the 3- to 4-point ranges, it is necessary for a mental health professional to consuct a full mental status examination and interview

Question 7

secondary intervention

Answer 7

treatment of the actual suicidal crisis

Question 8

suicide

Answer 8

11th leading cause of death in the U.S.