Deck 9: Suicide

Question 1

You are responsible for conducting a retrospective analysis of someone who has committed suicide. Describe the method you would use and the types of information you would try to gather. What are some limitations of this type of analysis?

Answer 1

not answered

Question 2

Describe the characteristics of children who are at risk for suicide. Include the statistics related to children and suicide and gender differences.

Answer 2

not answered

Question 3

You are training a new suicide hotline volunteer based on the work of the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center. List and explain to the volunteer the five goals for handling each call received.

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

When people develop a pattern of viewing their problems and solutions in either/or terms, this pattern is referred to as _____.

Question 5

Describe the four kinds of people who end their lives, according to Edwin Shneidman. Also, include an example of how a person in each category may carry out his or her suicide.

Question 6

Explain why the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs is difficult to measure.

Question 7

According to Shneidman, the death of an individual who play an indirect, covert, partial, or unconscious role in his or her own death may be classified as a(n) _____.

Question 8

Many factors contribute to the high suicide rate among the elderly. Compare and contrast the factors that contribute to suicide among elderly American Indians, elderly non-Hispanic white Americans, and elderly African Americans.

Question 9

Shneidman's term for people who clearly intend to end their lives but act out of a conviction that the process is already under way and that they are simply hastening the process is _____.

Question 10

You are giving a presentation on suicide. An audience member asks why the suicide of a friend or family member increases the risk a person will attempt suicide. How should you respond?

Question 11

Roberta comes to you, an expert on suicide, for help. She is worried about her teenage son's change in mood and fears that he may ultimately kill himself, although she has seen no specific warning signs. Explain to Roberta how changes in mood are related to suicide.

Question 12

The piecing together of data from people's pasts to understand their suicides is termed _____.

Question 13

There is evidence that the likelihood of suicide goes up when a celebrity commits suicide, the media focus on a particular case of suicide, or a coworker, friend, or family member commits suicide. This form of suicide is often called _____.

Question 14

According to Shneidman, people who have a clear intention of ending their lives at the time they attempt suicide and who are sufficiently clear-minded and committed to performing the act are called _____.

Question 15

You are asked to discuss the risks of suicide with a group of resident assistants on a college campus. Discuss the five MOST important points about suicide risk that you would want to make with them.

Question 16

Discuss adolescent suicide, and infer why adolescents are particularly at risk for suicide.

Question 17

Durkheim defined _____ suicides as those committed by people who are not concerned with the norms or rules of society and who are not integrated into the social fabric.

Question 18

When people feel that their present circumstances, problems, and negative moods will not change, and this pessimistic belief contributes to suicide, the belief is called a sense of ____.

Question 19

Shneidman classified a person who commits suicide but shows ambivalence in the act as a _____.

Question 20

According to Shneidman, people who believe that their self-inflicted deaths will not mean the end of their existence are called _____.

Question 21

Suicidal actions become much more common after the age of _____ than at any earlier age.

Question 22

What is the critical way in which death initiators differ from other categories of people who attempt suicide, according to Shneidman?

A) They employ more lethal means.
B) They do not intend to end their lives with their action.
C) They believe that death will not end their existence.
D) They believe they are merely speeding up an ongoing process.

Question 23

A treatment approach that tries to help people in a psychological crisis to view their situation more accurately, make better decisions, act more constructively, and overcome the crisis is called _____.

Question 24

According to Durkheim, a person who commits suicide because his or her social environment fails to provide stable structures to support and give meaning to life has committed _____ suicide.

Question 25

Why do many people think that estimates of the rates of suicide are inaccurate?

A) Insurance companies pay extra life insurance in cases of suicide.
B) Many reported suicides are probably really accidents.
C) The stigma associated with suicide makes people hesitant to report it.
D) Suicide is not a DSM-5 category.

Question 26

According to Shneidman, the critical way in which the death seeker differs from the death darer is that death seekers:

A) speed along their death, which is already under way.
B) are ambivalent about their death.
C) intend to end their lives with their action.
D) believe that death will not end their existence.

Question 27

About how many unsuccessful suicide attempts occur annually in the United States?

A) 80,000
B) 120,000
C) 650,000
D) 1 million

Question 28

Which statement is TRUE regarding suicide as a mental disorder?

A) To be diagnosed with suicidal behavior disorder, a person must have attempted suicide.
B) The category called suicidal behavior disorder was added to the DSM in the most recent edition.
C) Suicidal ideation is classified as a mental disorder in DSM-5 but not the act of attempting suicide.
D) Suicidal behavior is not classified as a mental disorder in DSM-5, but it represents psychological dysfunction.

Question 29

Piper shot herself by placing the gun barrel in her mouth, in the middle of a dense wood, where she knew she wouldn't be heard or found. Piper is an example of what Edwin Shneidman refers to as a:

A) death seeker.
B) death initiator.
C) death ignorer.
D) death darer.

Question 30

Darlene starves to death because she gives her meager amount of food to her little sister. Durkheim would classify Darlene as a(n) _____ suicide.

Question 31

Which is NOT a component of Edwin Shneidman's definition of suicide?

A) Involves conscious effort
B) Is self-inflicted
C) Results from depression or emotional distress
D) Involves indirect effort

Question 32

Recent research on biological factors in suicide has linked it to low levels of the neurotransmitter _____ in the brain.

Question 33

According to Shneidman, people who commit suicide with clarity and commitment, yet who believe that they are simply facilitating a process that is already under way, are called:

A) death darers.
B) death seekers.
C) death ignorers.
D) death initiators.

Question 34

About how many suicides are committed annually in the United States?

A) 15,000
B) 42,000
C) 120,000
D) 700,000

Question 35

Ernest Hemingway was a physically strong, proud man who developed great concerns about his failing body. Depressed about his progressive illness, he intentionally ended his life. Shneidman would classify Hemingway as a:

A) death darer.
B) death seeker.
C) death ignorer.
D) death initiator.

Question 36

Cecil and Andrea are teenagers who made a love pact and jumped off a cliff to be with each other for eternity. Cecil and Andrea are examples of what Shneidman refers to as:

A) death seekers.
B) death initiators.
C) death ignorers.
D) death darers.

Question 37

Suicide is the _____ most common cause of death in the United States.

A) number one
B) second
C) fifth
D) tenth

Question 38

Ambivalent about dying, Brody repeatedly played a dangerous game involving gas and a cigarette lighter. Brody is an example of what Shneidman refers to as a:

A) death seeker.
B) death initiator.
C) death ignorer.
D) death darer.

Question 39

About how many deaths occur by suicide each year around the world?

A) 100,000
B) 250,000
C) 500,000
D) 1,000,000

Question 40

An unsuccessful attempt at suicide is called a:

A) parasuicide.
B) pseudosuicide.
C) subintentional suicide.
D) sublethal suicide.

Question 41

Based on current data, how likely is it that a person who attempts suicide has left behind a suicide note?

A) Extremely common; almost all suicide victims leave behind a note.
B) Very common; a large majority of suicide victims leave behind a note.
C) Somewhat common; some people leave behind a note, but many do not.
D) Rare; almost no suicide victims leave behind a note.

Question 42

How do death darers primarily differ from those in Shneidman's other categories of people who attempt suicide?

A) They are ambivalent about their deaths.
B) They intend to end their lives with their actions.
C) They believe that death will not end their existence.
D) They believe they are merely speeding up an ongoing process.

Question 43

Which description BEST defines self-injury?

A) A behavioral pattern of mutilating oneself or causing oneself pain
B) The most common method of parasuicide
C) A psychological disorder
D) An accident that causes personal pain and distress

Question 44

The behavior of those who engage in self-injurious behavior such as cutting:

A) fits into the criteria for suicidal behavior disorder.
B) represents a clear effort to end one's life.
C) may represent an unconscious attempt at suicide.
D) is relatively uncommon and declining in frequency.

Question 45

One of the factors that is believed to account for differences in the suicide rates of different countries is:

A) climate.
B) religious affiliation and beliefs.
C) prevalence of mental disorders.
D) governmental regulations regarding suicide.

Question 46

Which statement regarding suicide is TRUE?

A) American Indians have the highest suicide rate of any racial group in the United States.
B) The suicide rate for non-Hispanic whites in the United States is the same as that for African Americans.
C) Married people are more likely to commit suicide than adults who are single.
D) Men are more likely to attempt suicide than women.

Question 47

Which statement about the relationship between religion and suicide is MOST accurate?

A) A country's economic status is a more important predictor of suicide rates than its major religion.
B) The degree of a person's devoutness is a more important predictor of suicide than his or her specific religion.
C) Countries that have high Jewish and Muslim populations also have high suicide rates.
D) Religion is a more important predictor of suicide risk for women than it is for men, especially in Catholic countries.

Question 48

Miguel lost all of his family when his village was bombed. He threw himself off a cliff to die so that he could be reunited with them. Shneidman would classify Miguel as a:

A) death darer.
B) death seeker.
C) death ignorer.
D) death initiator.

Question 49

Which aspect of religion is MOST closely linked to suicide?

A) Doctrine
B) Fellowship
C) Devoutness
D) Denomination

Question 50

Compared with women, men who attempt suicide tend to:

A) be devout.
B) be married.
C) be younger.
D) use more violent methods.

Question 51

According to Shneidman, people who are ambivalent about their intent to die and whose actions leading to death do not guarantee death (e.g., swimming in shark-infested waters) are called:

A) death darers.
B) death seekers.
C) death ignorers.
D) death initiators.

Question 52

Which is the BEST example of retrospective analysis?

A) Researchers ask college students to write suicide notes to study what they think is the motivation for suicide.
B) Therapists who had patients who committed suicide are interviewed to gain information on suicide.
C) Adolescents at high risk for suicide are treated through a suicide prevention center.
D) Individuals who have made suicide attempts are part of a suicide education program.

Question 53

Retrospective analysis involves:

A) interviewing those thought to be at high risk for suicide.
B) developing a suicide profile, especially for mental patients and prisoners.
C) studying people who survive suicide attempts.
D) gathering information about a suicide victim's past.

Question 54

Knowing she was terminally ill, Brielle swallowed a handful of barbiturates. She wanted to save herself and her family from the final painful months of her life. Brielle is an example of what Shneidman refers to as a:

A) death seeker.
B) death initiator.
C) death ignorer.
D) death darer.

Question 55

The majority of males who attempt suicide in the United States:

A) hang themselves.
B) intentionally crash their cars.
C) overdose on drugs.
D) use guns.

Question 56

According to Shneidman, how do death ignorers primarily differ from other categories of people who attempt suicide?

A) They employ more lethal means.
B) They intend to end their lives with their action.
C) They believe death will not end their existence.
D) They believe they are merely speeding up an ongoing process.

Question 57

Which would be the MOST surprising example of suicide because it does not fit into the pattern that current research results have identified?

A) A woman who stabbed herself
B) A woman who attempted suicide but did not succeed
C) A man who shot himself
D) A woman who killed herself with a drug overdose

Question 58

Which statement is NOT true regarding gender and suicide?

A) Women attempt suicide more often than men do.
B) Men use more lethal means to commit suicide than women do.
C) Women succeed at committing suicide more often than men do.
D) Men are more likely to commit suicide when they are elderly than when they are younger.

Question 59

Lydia smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, drinks heavily, and eats poorly. Her lifestyle ultimately contributes to shortening her life. Shneidman would classify her death as a(n):

A) parasuicide.
B) subintentional death.
C) initiated death.
D) subconscious suicide.

Question 60

Retrospective analysis of suicide typically would include:

A) interviews with the person who attempted suicide.
B) interviews with people who know the person who attempted suicide.
C) interviews with people who knew the person who committed suicide.
D) suicide interventions with people acquainted with the person who committed suicide.

Question 61

Which is NOT an immediate stressor particularly common among those persons who attempt suicide?

A) Occupational stress
B) Divorce
C) Death of a loved one
D) Stress from a flood

Question 62

The mood and thoughts of suicidal people are MOST often characterized as:

A) anxious and irrational.
B) angry and aggressive.
C) sad and hopeless.
D) tense and manic.

Question 63

A pessimistic belief that one's present circumstances, problems, or mood will not change is called:

A) suicidal ideation.
B) a mood disorder.
C) depression.
D) hopelessness.

Question 64

You are analyzing the suicide rates of African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans. The MOST accurate conclusion is:

A) African Americans have significantly higher suicide rates than the other two groups.
B) Suicide rates in Asian Americans are significantly higher than those in African Americans and about the same as those in Hispanic Americans.
C) Suicide rates in Hispanic Americans are about 1.5 times the rates in the other two groups.
D) African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans have roughly equal suicide rates.

Question 65

Which individual is MOST at risk for suicide?

A) Someone who decided to change career paths and started a new job
B) Someone who was diagnosed with a terminal pancreatic cancer
C) Someone who spends a lot of time with friends because his or her partner spends months at a time out of the country for work
D) Someone who watched a documentary about celebrities who have committed suicide

Question 66

What group is MOST at risk for suicide?

A) African American females
B) Non-Hispanic white American females
C) American Indian males
D) Hispanic American males

Question 67

If you were assessing a person for suicide potential, which would be the MOST critical to notice because it is likely related to suicide risk?

A) Cognitive dissonance
B) Religious devoutness
C) Change in occupation
D) Feelings of hopelessness

Question 68

Which is the BEST example of dichotomous thinking?

A) One person is stressed by an event that does not bother another person.
B) You have your opinion about suicide, and I have mine.
C) There are lots of factors that put someone at risk for suicide, not just one.
D) There's only one thing to do, and nothing else matters.

Question 69

Commonly observed triggers for suicide include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) being in therapy.
B) being a heavy alcohol user.
C) knowing someone who committed suicide.
D) experiencing stressful life events.

Question 70

Viewing problems and solutions in rigid either/or terms is called:

A) didactic perspectives.
B) irrational thinking.
C) hopelessness.
D) dichotomous thinking.

Question 71

An increase in _____ is MOST often linked to suicide.

A) guilt
B) anger
C) anxiety
D) sadness

Question 72

How likely are women to use a gun to commit suicide?

A) Less than one-tenth of women who commit suicide use guns.
B) Approximately one-fifth of women who commit suicide use guns.
C) Approximately one-third of women who commit suicide use guns.
D) More than two-thirds of women who commit suicide use guns.

Question 73

Which description BEST represents the concept of psychache?

A) Uncertainty about what one should do for a career
B) An unusual combination of depression and anxiety
C) Cognitive impairment similar to what is found in dementia
D) Intolerable emotional pain

Question 74

Which is NOT an example of an immediate stressor?

A) Loss of a loved one through death
B) Natural disaster
C) Loss of a job
D) Serious illness

Question 75

Which occupation has a particularly high rate of suicide?

A) Used-car salespeople
B) Psychologists
C) Priests
D) Gourmet chefs

Question 76

The individual MOST at risk of suicide is someone who:

A) has become increasingly introverted and adopted an overall more pessimistic outlook.
B) recently escaped from an abusive environment and is now living with family.
C) felt trapped in his or her marriage and just recently divorced.
D) is a devout Muslim.

Question 77

Assume that a community is made up of almost exactly equal numbers of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and non-Hispanic white Americans, and that everyone is of the same socioeconomic status. Approximately what percentage of suicides would you expect to be committed by non-Hispanic white Americans?

A) 5 percent, well below the rates for the other groups
B) 25 percent, about the same as the rates for the other groups
C) 40 percent, about double the rates for the other groups
D) 60 percent, almost four times the rates for the other groups

Question 78

Which is NOT a long-term stressor particularly common among those who attempt suicide?

A) Serious illness
B) Occupational stress
C) Divorce
D) An abusive environment

Question 79

According to current estimates, the suicide rate is highest in the United States among:

A) African Americans.
B) Hispanic Americans.
C) American Indians.
D) Asian Americans.

Question 80

Which statement is TRUE regarding war veterans' risk of suicide once they return home?

A) War veterans are about twice as likely as nonveterans to commit suicide.
B) War veterans are no more likely to commit suicide than are nonveterans.
C) War veterans are a little less likely to commit suicide than are nonveterans.
D) Family members of war veterans, not the veterans themselves, are at a higher suicide risk.