Suicide
Suicide
Suicide
Amal Benchakroun
Suicide
• 10th leading cause of death in the US – 2015
• Past attempts
• Substance use
• Depression
• family/Peer suicide • Hopelessness
• Loss of support system
• Psychiatric illness • Change in therapeutic
alliance
• Chronic/ Terminal • Suicide plan/ intent
illness/ Pain • Ease of access to lethal
methods
• Doom/gloom delusions.
• Gender Existential qs
Risk Factors.
• Previous suicide attempt
o Strongest single factor predictive of suicide.
o 1% of people that attempt suicide die within 1 year of attempt.
Risk 100 x greater than general population.
• Psychiatric disorder
o Psychiatric illness (severity) is a strong predictor of suicide
o >90% attempt suicide have a psychiatric disorder and 95% who
successfully commit suicide have a psychiatric diagnosis
o Inpatient hospitalization
o Depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism or other substance
abuse, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders
including panic disorder, PTSD, and delirium
o Combination of more than one the above increase the risk 2-3x
Risk Factors.
• Age: Female more attempts, Male more completion.
• Hopelessness: suicidal ideation and attempts
• Marital status: Single
• Sexual minority: 2x > heterosexual. Bisexual>homosexual
• Occupation: >unskilled occupation (labors vs managers)
except: Physicians and nurses
• General medical illness and chronic pain
• Fam hx, genetics, child abuse
• Firearms
• Rural residence
• Low income, unemployment
• Antidepressant 18-24yr old in the first 2 mo
Methods
• Firearms: Leading methods. 50% of deaths
o meta-analysis of 10 observational studies found that the risk of completed
suicide was three times greater among adults with access to firearms,
compared with individuals without available firearms
• Hopelessness or trapped
• Reckless behavior
• Why?
o Deal with negative emotions – seen as positive action to express
feelings and feel in control
• Depression, rage, guilt, emptiness or self hatred
• Distraction from difficult life event
• Relief from guilt as a form of self punishement
• A way to feel more alive