Suicide

Question 1

Suicide

Answer 1

The intentional ending of one’s own life

Question 2

“Attempted suicide”

Answer 2

• when a person attempts to end their own life
  → vast majority of attempts do not result in death for various reasons

Question 3

“Suicide survivors”

Answer 3

• may refer to a person who attempts but does not die by suicide, or to those bereaved by suicide

Question 4

“Sub-intentional deaths”

Answer 4

• When people play an indirect, partial, or unconscious role in their own death
  → death is not consciously, deliberately willed, but still occurs as a predictable outcome of the person’s behaviour

Question 5

Self-harm / self-injury

Answer 5

• Behaviour which causes harm or injury to oneself
  → may be intentional, or a predictable consequence of behaviours performed for offer reasons
  → death is not intended but may occur unintentionally

Question 6

Causes of suicide (individual)

Answer 6

• Suicide is frequently precede by warning signs, and is usually precipitated by severe stress (acute or chronic)
  → Immediate stressors: loss of a loved one, end of a relationship, job loss, financial loss, natural disasters
  → chronic stressors: social isolation/loneliness, serious injury/illness, trauma, occupational stress
• person feels like the situation is irrecoverable/permanent, and there is nothing they can do to make things better
• some models propose suicide is associated with an impulsive personality trait, or suicides are impulsive decisions with little forethought/opportunity for intervention

Question 7

Causes of suicide (sociocultural)

Answer 7

• Durkheim: rates of suicide depended on social integration and social regulation
  → integration: whether or not people have strong attachments to each other and to society as a whole (too little integration = meaninglessness and loneliness, but suicide is more likely in societies with extremely strong integration = sacrifice themselves for causes)
  → regulation: the degree to which society monitors and controls individual behaviour

Question 8

Causes of suicide (interpersonal)

Answer 8

• Individual and sociocultural factors are typically both acknowledged (suicide occurs when individual and social factors intersect in particular ways)
• interpersonal theory: suicide occurs when people hold certain beliefs concerning their relationships with other people
  → perceived burdensomeness: the belief that one is a burden to others (people would be better off without them)
  → thwarted belongingness: when people went to have relationships with others or belong to social groups, but feel incapable or rejected (whether perception is accurate or not)
  → to attempt suicide, individual must hold both beliefs and have the “psychological capacity” (high pain tolerance or low fear of death) for suicide

Question 9

Physician-assisted suicide

Answer 9

• Mixed evidence on whether avoiding or ending pain is the primary motive
  → some say the main motivation is loss of autonomy, dignity, and being incapable of enjoying life’s activities
  → self-determination theory: people derive life satisfaction from feelings of competency, autonomy, and relatedness
  → others say it is due to existential suffering

Question 10

CBT for suicide

Answer 10

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): are encouraged to acknowledge and accept negative emotions rather than avoid or deny them (goal is to increase resilience)
• dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): skills taming to help people regulate emotions and communicate effectively with others (individual/group therapy, family therapy, phone coaching)

Question 11

Art therapy

Answer 11

• Attendance at an art program may reduce suicide/self-harm risk

Question 12

Psychotherapy / existentialism

Answer 12

• “Logotherapy”: an appeal to meaning
• the hero’s journey: every hero must pass through the abyss where things seem hopeless