Awareness Reframes Assumption: SUICIDE – Myths & Facts

Read Time:1 Minute, 5 Second
Views: 183

Volume-1 Issue-2 August, 2011

❌ Suicide is more common in women

✅ Suicide attempts are three times more common in women but men complete suicide more often.


❌ People who talk about suicide don’t complete suicide.


✅ Many people who die by suicide would have given definite warnings of their intentions. Any comment about suicide should be explored seriously.


❌ Suicidal people are fully intent on dying.


✅ Most suicidal people are undecided about living or dying, which is called suicidal ambivalence. This ambivalence can be used in suicide prevention strategies to build Hope.


❌ Suicidal acts are ‘out of blue’ and risky, cannot be assessed.


✅ Risk factors for suicide that can be assessed are Past attempt, Family history of suicide, Psychiatric disorder especially Depression, Alcoholism, Chronic illness like cancer, Recent life events like death/loss of close ones.


❌ Enquiring about death wishes and suicidal ideas will increase risk of suicide.


✅ Most patients wish to talk about their feelings, which should be actively explored in patients at risk.


❌ There are no protective factors against suicide.


✅ Apart from absence of said risk factors, additional protective factors are: Hopefulness, access to health care that is also oriented about mental health issues, having responsibility of children less than 18yrs & having good social support.

— Compiled by Dr B.N.Hanumanthappa, Resident, AIMS

0 0