Self-harm and Suicidality Flashcards
Who is most likely to self-harm?
Young people Young females Young Asian females LAC/YP Prisoners
Which conditions are most commonly associated with self-harm?
BPD Depression Bipolar Schizophrenia Drug/Alcohol misuse
What is one of the top five causes of hospital admissions?
Self-harm
What is the percentage of people who have attended hospital for self-harm that will go on to complete suicide?
1%
What systemic issues need to be considered in self-harm behaviour?
Attitudes towards self-harm
What are some of the psychological characteristics of people who self-harm?
Difficult to engage Hostile Internalised anger Anxious/irritable Poor coping strategies Shame/guilt
Why do people self-harm?
Emotional regulation
Communication
Control/punishment
What is a better way of saying ‘attention seeking’?
care seeking
What are some of the risk factors for self-harm?
Childhood trauma
Invalidation
What is the best way to approach self-harm?
Acceptance and change
What are some specific self-harm intervention-related strategies?
Delaying techniques Linking strategies to current emotional state/function of self-harm Alternatives Psychoeducation about risks Reduce access
What do we need to be mindful of when working with self-harm?
Legal considerations
Risks and benefits
Intra and inter-personal impact
What leads to hope?
Comfort and competence
What is an alternative to talking about mental illness?
Talking about unhappiness/loneliness
What is the main aim for working with self-harm?
Addressing the underlying issue - what are they trying to communicate?
What are the two main messages we want to give from therapy?
You’re alright
It’s going to be alright
Which gender is most likely to complete suicide?
Males
Which age range is most likely to complete suicide?
45-74
Who writes about gender and suicide?
Brent and Moritz (1996)
List 4 factors which determine the choice of suicide method.
Availability/acceptability
Familiarity
Anticipated pain/messiness
Chances/consequences of failure
What is one thing that might deter people from suicide?
Who might find the body?
List 3 risk demographic factors for suicide.
Being in unskilled occupation/lower SES
Being in prison
Social isolation
Who outlined a cognitive model of suicide?
Wenzel et al. (2009)
Outline the cognitive model of suicide.
Life stress + Dispositional vulnerability => Suicide schema activated => Hopelessness and attentional fixation => Suicidal ideation => Suicide attempt
List 4 questions for assessing risk of suicide.
Questioning about thoughts - intensity, frequency, severity
Intentions/plans
Previous attempts
Triggers
What is a fifth key thing we need to know if we are questioning about suicide?
Protective factors
What are the common elements to working with suicidality (Weinbereger, 2010)?
Clear framework for treatment Management plan Close attention to affect Active therapist style Exploratory AND change oriented interventions
What can be a helpful intervention strategy for suicidality?
Training problem solving
Who identified the common elements of working with suicidality?
Weinberger (2010)
