Suicide: A Comprehensive Overview of Causes, Correlates, and Prevention, Slides of Abnormal Psychology

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Suicide

Suicide

• Suicide: The intentional, direct, and conscious taking of one’s own life. - As one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., it is considered a serious threat to public health.
• Not classified as a mental disorder, although the suicidal person usually has psychiatric symptoms, such as: - Depression - Alcohol dependence - Schizophrenia
• Suicide and suicidal ideation (thoughts about suicide) may represent a separate clinical entity.

Correlates of Suicide

• Psychological Autopsy: Systematic examination of existing information to understand and explain a person’s behavior before his/her death.
• Suicide survivors are different from those who succeed: - Attempter: White female housewife in 20s-30s, marital difficulties, uses barbiturates. - Succeeder: White male, 40s or older, ill health or depression, uses gun or hangs himself.

Facts About Suicide

• Alcohol frequently implicated
• Number of actual suicides is probably 25-30% higher than what is recorded.
• 15% of all suicides are people under age 25, but college students are at lower risk than non-college people in the same age group.
• Media reports of suicide spark increase in suicide.
• Men are 3-4 times as likely to be successful (they use more lethal means); women are more likely to attempt suicide.

• Marital Status and Suicide per 100,

More Facts About Suicide

• Over 60% of suicides are committed using firearms, 70% of attempts are from drug overdose.
• Most common means for children under 15: Jumping from buildings and running into traffic; children over 15 use drugs or hang themselves.
• Suicide rates are lower in Catholic and Muslim countries. - Suicide bombers?
• More common in spring/summer

Correlation of Suicide with Psychological Factors

• High correlation with depression and alcohol consumption
• Many individuals who commit suicide have a DSM- IV-TR disorder.
• 15% of individuals diagnosed with mood disorders, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorder attempt suicide.
• Threats of suicide associated with several personality disorders such as borderline and narcissistic. docsity.com

Perspectives on Suicide

• Common Motive: Relief from unbearable life situation.
• Emile Durkheim (sociocultural): Social/societal factors that separate people or make them less connected to others increase susceptibility to suicide. - Suicide may occur because of: - Alienation from society (Egoistic Suicide) - Unbalanced relation to society (Anomic Suicide) - For the greater good (Altruistic Suicide) docsity.com

Perspectives on Suicide

• Biological explanations:
  • Biochemical: 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA): Serotonin is broken down in the body and serotonin receptors may be impaired.
  • Genetics: High rate of suicide and suicide attempts among parents and close relatives of individuals who attempt or complete suicide.

Victims of Suicide

• Children and adolescents 15-24:
  • 73% are white males, but increasing for black males
  • Suicide is 2nd leading cause of death for teens.
  • 3 times as many girls as boys; boys were younger
  • Clinical symptoms: Changes in mood/aggressiveness

Victims of Suicide

• Families:
  • Under economic stress with twice the rate of parental unemployment.
  • More than 50% are two-parent families
  • Higher rates if medical problems, psychiatric illness, and suicide (dominant problem: Alcohol/drug abuse).
  • Family instability, stress, and chaotic family atmosphere correlated with suicide attempts.
  • Unpredictable traumatic events
  • Children exhibit considerable anger.

Victims of Suicide

• Copycat Suicides: Youngsters mimic a previous suicide.
  • Highly publicized suicides increase the number of suicide attempts.
• Elderly people: Life events connected with “feeling old” lead to depression (one of the most common psychiatric complaints of the elderly). - Suicide rates for elderly white men are the highest for any age group. - For Asian Americans, the highest risk is for first- generation immigrants.