Suicide: The Nature of the Beast

I just attended a suicide seminar at my graduate school, which highlighted the dramatic need for suicide education among helping professionals. If you, for instance, have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, you have most likely only had approximately two hours of formal training in suicidality. Considering that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for 15-34 year olds, this is pretty commiserable.
As helping professionals in the mental health field, suicide needs to be considered outside the realm of a mental disorder. Depression, schizophrenia, mood disorders, etc. do not always cause suicide attempts. Up to 20% of suicide victims had no diagnosable disorder. Anyone should update themselves with the latest suicide information, risk factors, warning signs, and even treatment protocols. If more persons are clued into the nature of suicide, more lives can be saved. In a case with a suicide survivor, she said, "I couldn't take it any longer. I felt as if no one loved me or even noticed me. I decided to walk to work, and if one person smiled at me, I would not kill myself. No one smiled, and I swallowed 200 Percocet and a pint of gin." Take time to read the warning signs below. Taking five minutes to review warning signs/flags can save a life.

http://www.suicidology.org/web/guest/stats-and-tools/warning-signs

Warning Signs of Acute Risk:

• Threatening to hurt or kill him or herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself; and/or,
• Looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means; and/or,
• Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary.

These might be remembered as expressed or communicated ideation. If observed, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a referral.

If you're a helping professional, you might be interested in this research proposal for the next edition of the DSM, the DSM-V: Article Link

*Thanks to suicidology.org & artgazine.com