How to Coach Yourself and Others Empowering Coaching And Crisis Interventions | Page 149

This book is in B&W, not color - Print page in Grayscale for Correct view! Chapter 6 Harm Assessment (Suicide, Homicide, Injury to self or others) What should a responder knew about suicide? People become suicidal because of a crisis or series of crises in their lives. Sometimes people see suicide as a resolution to the pain they are experiencing in the midst of a crisis. What they may not see is that there are always other options. Suicide is rare, but devastating when it does occur. The information below shows a few relevant statistics: In 2001, suicide took the lives of 30,622 people in the US. In 2001, there were twice as many deaths due to suicide than due to HIV/AIDS (14,175) In 2004, suicide took the lives of 32,439 people in the United States.  25,566 were males, 6,873 were females : : 80% male vs 20% female!  29,251 were white , 3,188 were non-'white : Non-whites = more than 25% of the population, account for only 10% of the suicides  4,316 were 15-24 years, 5,198 were 65+ years : From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate for men in their fifties rose 49,4%  Average suicide rate is 12/100,000 – but for white men over 85 it is 65.3/100.000  Males are four times more likely to die of suicide than are females. However, females are more likely to attempt suicide than are males In 2004, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the US. In 2010, 38.364 Americans killed themselves No official data was compiled on the number of attempts, but it is estimated to be 25 attempts for every death by suicide. Suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress that need to be addressed, and not just a harmless bid for attention. A suicidal person should not be left alone and needs immediate mental health treatment. Suicide is a complex behavior usually caused by a combination of factors. Research shows that almost all people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder or both, and that the majority has a depressive illness. Studies indicate that the most promising way to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior is through the early recognition and treatment of depression and other psychiatric illnesses. How should a crisis service provider deal with someone who may be considering suicide? The statistics are nice as guidelines, but offer little help when dealing with an individual. Each individual has his/her own history and reasons for thinking of suicide. If someone is suspected to be thinking of suicide, the best thing to do is ask directly, "Are you thinking of killing yourself?" By asking directly you are actually giving the person permission to talk about it. Talking it through is the best way to prevent a suicide. You will not be putting the idea into someone's head. Ask open-'ended questions. Let the person talk about what happened, who else is involved, how long has he/she been thinking of suicide, what would happen if he/she went on living, how others would react, etc. For [email protected] Property of Bookemon, do NOT distribute 149