Term
| What percentage of suicide victims consult a physician 60-90 days before committing an act of self destruction? |
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Definition
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Term
| Suicide represents what percentage of deaths in the country? |
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Definition
1% of deaths (80-100 every day)
11.3/100,000 commit suicide
11th leading cause of death |
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Term
| What regional location has the highest rates of suicide? What is one possible reason of this regional variation? |
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Definition
Western states have the highest suicide rates (14.7). This is possibly because these are areas of high rates of gun ownership. |
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Term
| Are there more suicides or homicides in the US? |
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Definition
| Suicides (1.7 times greater than homicides) |
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Term
| What is the most important thing physicians should be aware regarding suicide? |
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Definition
Careless dispensing of medicine: Patients that come to the physician claiming certain symptoms to get a prescription, when in reality, they are stockpiling medications needed to commit suicide. |
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Term
| What's the difference between suicide and parasuicide? |
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Definition
Suicide - any act that leads to destruction of one's life
Parasuicide - deliberate act of self harm when one mimcs the act of suicide,but does not have the intent to die. i.e. smoking, drug abuse, gambling, sky diving, alcohol abuse. |
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Term
| What are the top 5 factors for increased risk of suicide? |
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Definition
1. History - prior suicide attempt
2. Age - older adult, or adolescent
3. Substance abuse
4. Behavior - history of rage/violent behavior
5. Sex - Male |
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Term
| What is the Werther Effect? |
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Definition
When adolescent (age 15-24) suicides occur in clusters, because of peer influence and over-portrayal by media. |
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Term
| What group is at most risk for lethal suicide? |
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Definition
Native American (or Inuit/Immigrant)
divorced/widowed
jewish/protestant/atheist
men >65 years old
who are professionals (doctors/dentists, policemen, musicians, or attorneys)
NOTE: women attempt suicide 4x greater than men, but men succeed 3x more than women. |
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Term
| What is Durkheim's Law and what are the four substypes? |
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Definition
Durkheim's Law - suicide varies inversely with the degree of integration of the social groups of which the inidividual forms a part of.
1. Egoistic: Social ties between individual and others in society are weak and few. Few social ties preventing individual from committing suicide. (men and teens)
2. Altruistic: Individal extremely attached to society and has not life of their own.
a. believes death will bring about beneficial change (firemen, policemen to save others)
b. kills self to relieve burden on society
c. sacrifice self for greater good of society (Kamikaze pilot)
3. Anomic: dramatic economic and or social changes lead to differences in goals of society and life goals/purpose of individual. Since individual cannot identify with norms of society, suicide is their only escape.
4. Fatalistic: social regulation is completely instilled in the individual and there is no hope of change against the oppressive discipline of society. The individual can only be released of their state by committing suicide.
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Term
| What neurotransmitter in implicated in suicide? What is an appropriate treatment? |
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Definition
Low serotonin and 5-HIAA levels.
Tx: SSRIs |
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Term
| What are eight indications that a physician should be aware of? |
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Definition
1. Possesson of a means for suicide (gun, medication)
2. Presence of a plan for suicide (time, place, circumstances)
3. Acute intoxication (reduced impulse control)
4. Expresses feeling out of control (cannot restrain urge to kill self)
5. Psychotic symptoms (comman hallucinations)
6. Lack of social support
7. History of repeated suicide attempts
8. Patient is unreliable |
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