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
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