Suicide

Question 1

What is suicidality?

Answer 1

Is an umbrella term and covers suicidal ideation (serious thoughts about taking one’s own life), suicide plans and suicide attempts.

Question 2

What is Suicidal Ideation?

Answer 2

Having thoughts of harming or killing oneself. Thinking about suicide.

Question 3

What is suicide threat?

Answer 3

A threat that is more serious than casual statement of suicidal intent, that is accompanied by other behaviour changes. These may include mood swings, temper outbursts, a decline in school or work performance, personality changes, sudden or gradual withdrawal from friends, and other significant changes in attitudes

Question 4

What is parasuicidal behaviour?

Answer 4

Any non‐fatal, serious, deliberate self‐harm with or without suicide intent.

Question 5

What is a Suicide attempt?

Answer 5

A non-fatal, self-inflicted destructive act with explicit or inferred intent to die. The attempt may be thwarted by the person, another person or by circumstances, it may be planned to avoid serious injury, or it may be one in which the outcome depends on the circumstances and is not under the individual’s control. For example, someone who takes a heavy overdose of sleeping tablets may or may not be discovered in time

Question 6

Define suicide.

Answer 6

A fatal, self-inflicted destructive act with an explicit or inferred intent to die

Question 7

What is the leading cause of death among people aged 15-44 years in Australia?

Answer 7

Suicide.

Question 8

Three quarters of deaths by suicide in 2018 were______. Male or female?

Answer 8

Male.

Question 9

Inapproriate language describing suicide can __________, ___________ and __________ people.

Answer 9

stigmatise, blame and victimise.

Question 10

Name at least 5 risk factors associated with suicide.

Answer 10

• Co-morbidity
• Deliberate self-harm
• Hopelessness
• Isolation and remoteness
• Marital status
• Mental illness
• Pain and physical illness
• Recent discharge from acute mental health care
• Postpartum risk
• Previous suicide attempts
• Stressful life events
• Childhood trauma
• Family factors

Question 11

Why is co-morbidity a risk factor of suicide?

Answer 11

A diagnosis of mental illness and alcohol related problems are significant correlates of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. Moreover, there is also a strong association between substance abuse disorders and suicide.

Question 12

Why is deliberate self-harm a risk factor of suicide?

Answer 12

The risk of the person committing suicide in the first year after an episode of self-harm is up to 100 times greater than the general population. Note: NOT ALL PEOPLE WHO SELF HARM HAVE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

Question 13

Warning Signs of Suicide.

What are three direct signs?

Answer 13

Suicidal communication: Someone threatening to hurt or kill themselves or talking of wanting to do so. This includes ominous utterances, such as, speaking of going away or of others being better off without them

Seeking access to a method: Someone looking for ways to kill themself by seeking access to pills, rope, or other means

Making preparations: Someone talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person

Question 14

Warning Signs of Suicide.

What is the acronym used to remember indirect signs?

Answer 14

IS PATH WARM

Question 15

What does IS PATH WARM stand for?

Answer 15

• *I =** Ideation
• *S =** Substance abuse
• *P =**Purposelessness (loss of purpose/reason for living)
• *A =** Anxiety (worry, agitation, sleep disturbances)
• *T =** Trapped (feeling of being unable to escape situation)
• *H =** Hopelessness
• *W =** Withdrawal (from others)
• *A =** Anger (rage, aggression)
• *R =** Recklessness
• *M =** Mood changes

Question 16

Name 5 considerations when assessing suicide risk.

Answer 16

• The level of distress and/or psychological pain the person is in
• What is the person’s motivation? What meaning do they attach to suicide?
• What is their history of suicidal thoughts and behaviour?
• Current suicidal thoughts
• Intoxication
• Lethality/intent
• Presence of a plan
• Safety of others
• Protective factors (reasons to live, hope for the future)
• Engagement in assessment
• Corroborative account

Question 17

What’s phrases should a nurse watch out for when speaking to patients?

Answer 17

• I’m thinking of killing myself. I want to kill myself.
• There’s no reason for me to live
• I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to go on
• I’d be better off dead
• I won’t be around soon, anyway
• I’ll miss this when I’m goneTake care of them when I’m gone

Question 18

What is one of the main factors mediating the relationship between depressed mood and suicidal intent?

Answer 18

Hopelessness.

Question 19

Is there a current rating scale that has a proven predictive value in the clinical assessment of suicide?

Answer 19

NO.

Scales and assessment tools rely on clinicians (such as RNs) talking to and working collaboratively with a person, identifying signs, and making a clinical decision with the information they have.

Question 20

When promoting a safe environment when do you re-assess a consumer who is identified as high risk/high changability/low assessment confident?

Answer 20

Re-assess within 24 hours.

Question 21

When promoting a safe environment when do you re-assess a consumer who is identified as medium risk?

Answer 21

Re-assess within one week.

Question 22

When promoting a safe environment when do you re-assess a consumer who is identified as low risk?

Answer 22

Re-access within one month.

Question 23

Community based care.

Before the person leaves a hospital or other facility for the community they should be given what?

Answer 23

Management plan.

Question 24

What does a management plan include?

Answer 24

• Level of support to be provided by the service,
• written information on how to seek further help,
• 24 hour telephone number and contact person.