Self-Harm Behaviour and Suicide

Question 1

Suicide Myths

Answer 1

• weakness
• selfish –> to those left behind
• want to die
• only people who have mental illness
• no warning signs
• preserving dignity
• attention seeking
• weak or “crazy” people commit suicide
• talking about suicide will cause people to engage in suicide
• no longer talking about suicide means the risk has passed

Question 2

Suicide Reality

Answer 2

• Risk is increased with age
• More than 10 people/day commit suicide

Question 3

Risk Factors

Answer 3

• hopelessness
• hx of trauma
• hx of MI
• family hx of suicide
• history of psychiatric illness
• hx of traumatic events of abuse
• hx of alcohol or substance use
• hx of violence towards self or others
• poverty
• limited, or lack of resources
• weak support systems or lack of
• limited access to services
• physical illness

Question 4

Self harm

Answer 4

self-harm means that you hurt yourself on purpose, but that you do not intend to die as a result
- people self-harm for a number of reasons:
coping mechanism
to deal with uncomfortable or unwanted feelings like anxiety or depression
- to cope with grief, loss, violence or chronic illness
- to punish themselves or to express self-hatred or self-anger, or feelings of failure
- to make their emotional pain feel like physical pain
- to feel “real” feel anything, or cope with feelings of emptiness or numbness
- to regain control over their body
- to just feel better

Question 5

Self-Harm vs Suicidal Behaviour

Answer 5

• have to figure out when sef-harm is going to shift into suicidal behaviour
• self harm can slip into suicide
• self-harm can be an indicator of suicide
• try to understand intent
• look at them on a spectrum
• if self-harm is being used as a coping strategy you don’t want to take the coping skill away before you have fiven them a better one

Question 6

Balancing Act

Answer 6

• between trying to undestanding when someone is shifting from self-harm to suicide.
• understand why
• balancing the priorities of care
• limits of confidentiality
  limits of informed consent
• suicide contagion

Question 7

Legal Considerations

Answer 7

• safety - BCCNM competencies
• limite of confidentiality
• informed consent

Question 8

High-Risk Groups. part of

Answer 8

• LGBTQ2+
• substances use
  indigenous people
  poverty/homelessness
  limited social support