Chapter 7: Suicide Flashcards
altruistic suicide
suicide by people who intentionally sacrifice their lives for the well-being of society
anomic suicide
suicide by individuals whose social environment fails to provide stability, thus leaving them without a sense of belonging
brain-circuit dysfunction
there is evidence of low serotonin activity and brain-circuit dysfunction among suicidal people who have no history of depression
crisis intervention
a treatment approach that tries to help people in a psychological crisis to view their situation more accurately, make better decisions, act more constructively, and overcome the crisis
death darer
a person who is ambivalent about the wish to die even as they attempt suicide
death ignorer
a person who attempts suicide without recognizing the finality of death
death initiator
a person who attempts suicide believing that the process of death is already underway and that they are simply quickening the process
death seeker
a person who clearly intends to end their life at the time of a suicide attempt
dichotomous thinking
viewing problems and solutions in rigid either/or terms
egoistic suicide
suicide by people over whom society has little or no control, people who are not concerned with the norms or rules of society
hopelessness
a pessimistic belief that one’s present circumstances, problems, or mood will not change
interpersonal theory of suicide
theory that asserts that people with perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and a psychological capability to carry out suicide are the most likely to attempt suicide; also called interpersonal-psychological theory
non-suicidal self injury
direct and deliberate destruction of one’s own body tissue that is not accompanied by an intent to die
parasuicide
a suicide attempt that does not result in death
postvention
postsuicide program to support those close to the person that died
retrospective analysis
a psychological autopsy in which clinicians piece together information about a person’s suicide from the person’s past
Self-Injury Implicit Association Test
a cognitive test used to help assess suicidal risk: rather than asking people if they plan to attempt suicide, this test instructs them to pair various suicide-related words (for example, “dead,” “lifeless,” “suicide”) with words that are personally relevant (“I,” “myself,” “mine”) and with words that are not personally relevant (“they,” “them,” “other”)
serotonin
a neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression, OCD, and eating disorders
subintentional death
a death in which the victim plays an indirect, hidden, partial, or unconscious role
suicidal behavior disorder
a classification being studied for possible inclusion in a future revision of the DSM, in which individuals have tried to die by suicide within the last two years
