Deck 10: Suicide

Question 1

From 1950 to 1982, adolescent homicide rates increased faster than adolescent suicide rates.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Instruments have now been developed that successfully predict suicidal behavior with accuracy.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Suicidal actions seldom represent irrational behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of indirect suicide?

A) Death from hyper-obesity
B) Suicide bomber blowing himself up
C) Death from alcoholism
D) Chronic smoking causing death

Question 5

_____ suicides reflect reaction so excessive regulation perceived to block future improvements in one's life. Examples might be suicides by slaves or prisoners of war.

A) Egoistic
B) Altruistic
C) Anomic
D) Fatalistic

Question 6

Euthanasia is considered less favorable than the typical suicide to most Americans.

Question 7

Which of the following strongly condemns suicide?

A) Buddhist societies
B) Ancient China
C) Japan
D) Islamic countries

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Men successfully commit suicide more than women only in the U.S. and Canada.
B) In developed countries, suicide rates increase with age.
C) Minorities kill themselves in the US at a much higher rate than whites.
D) None of the above

Question 9

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for persons 15-24 years of age.

Question 10

Virtually all of those that commit suicide leave suicide notes.

Question 11

Most suicides follow rational planning with no more evidence of mental disorder than would appear in those that don't commit suicide.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Men attempt suicide more than women.
B) White females attempt suicide more than other females.
C) The typical successful suicide involves overdose on medication.
D) Most people who attempt suicide are middle aged and older.

Question 13

Suicide is the _____ leading cause of death in the U.S:

A) 8th
B) 12th
C) 2nd
D) 10th

Question 14

Which of the following philosophers condemned suicide as contrary to reason and therefore an offense?

A) Kant
B) Hume
C) Voltaire
D) Rousseau

Question 15

Lower rates of suicide occur among those who are:

A) married
B) single, never married
C) widowed
D) divorced

Question 16

Reasons for attempting suicide appear to vary by race.

Question 17

The suicide rate in the U.S. overall is higher for:

A) Protestants
B) Catholics
C) Jews
D) there are no religious differences in suicide rates

Question 18

Most suicide attempts occur in settings that discourage intervention by others.

Question 19

In Denmark, divorce trends predicted both adult and youth suicide.

Question 20

About ____ % of Americans find suicide morally unacceptable.

A) 40
B) 55
C) 68
D) 80

Question 21

Durkheim believed that suicide rates were best explained by:

A) social integration
B) status frustration
C) status integration
D) community migration

Question 22

The largest factor that separates depressed people who commit suicides from depressed people who do not is:

A) anger
B) hopelessness
C) jealousy
D) fear

Question 23

Some argue that physician-assisted suicide violates _____ and its prohibition on hastening death.

A) the Hippocratic oath
B) the Buddhist belief system
C) the Doctor's Decree
D) the Physician's Code

Question 24

In Great Britain, a network of volunteer organizations works to prevent suicide. They combine elements of _____________ and _____________ when counseling suicidal individuals.

A) religion, psychotherapy
B) medication, religion
C) psychotherapy, medication
D) none of the above

Question 25

Historically, Chinese societies accepted suicide as an effective tool of ________________ against the enemy.

A) Deterrence
B) Incapacitation
C) Revenge
D) All of the above

Question 26

Studies have found that as of 2013 military suicides rates have ________________.

A) increased by three times the suicide rates of the general population
B) increased by twice the suicide rates of the general population
C) decreased due to more aggressive treatment and prevention efforts
D) decreased by twice the suicide rates of the general population

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT one of the principal components of a predictable suicide syndrome, according to Ringel?

A) Constricting or narrowing alternatives
B) A certain aggressive response directed toward oneself
C) Acceptance of one's lot in life and blaming of others for one's situation
D) Indulgence in suicidal fantasies that construct and mentally play out suicidal acts

Question 28

In general, suicide prevention centers:

A) Provide a valuable service to society
B) Hard to determine if they work because callers cannot be identified
C) Some research concludes that effects of centers are minimal
D) All of the above

Question 29

Compared to younger people, the suicide notes of older people reflect a lesser likelihood to display:

A) redirected aggression
B) unconscious implications
C) confusion
D) all of the above

Question 30

Cornelius always wanted to build a successful business and become a millionaire. Just before he turns 40, he "goes public" and his business is publicly traded on the stock market. This move makes him a millionaire. After he celebrates, he no longer knows what to do with his life. He feels "lost" and his life no longer has any meaning. He then takes his own life. What type of suicide did Cornelius commit?

A) Egoistic
B) Altruistic
C) Anomic
D) Fatalistic

Question 31

______ developed a theory of suicide and classified four types of suicide (egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic).

A) Durkheim
B) Weber
C) Marx
D) Simmel

Question 32

According to the United Nations, virgin or honor suicides are most likely to occur in:

A) southeast Asia
B) India
C) the Middle East
D) Eastern Europe

Question 33

The largest cause of death by suicide is:

A) firearm
B) suffocation
C) poisoning
D) hanging

Question 34

Which of the following is TRUE of suicide Notes:

A) Difficult to distinguish real notes from fake notes
B) 1 in 16 suicides leaves a note
C) Schniedman believes that if one commits suicide they cannot leave a meaningful note
D) All of the above

Question 35

Suicide prevention centers that attempt to offer counseling and other assistance were pioneered at what point in history?

A) The beginning of industrialization
B) After WWII
C) During the troubled 1960s
D) During the 1980s

Question 36

Jimmy and his siblings are hungry and live in a poor country. He thinks that if he kills himself, his sisters and brothers will have more food to eat and he will not be a burden on the rest of the family. He kills himself for the perceived benefit of his family. Which type of suicide did Jimmy commit?

A) Egoistic
B) Altruistic
C) Anomic
D) Fatalistic

Question 37

Paula lacks the social support of an interpersonal group to help her with her relationship and workplace problems. For these individualistic reasons, she kills herself. What type of suicide best fits her situation?

A) Egoistic
B) Altruistic
C) Anomic
D) Fatalistic

Question 38

The Michigan doctor that has been part of the debate on physician-assisted suicide due to his insistence on helping those with terminal illnesses that wish to commit suicide is:

A) Bill Frist
B) Joseph Mengele
C) Jack Kevorkian
D) Stan Kenton

Question 39

Staff members at suicide prevention centers carry out much of their initial contact by which method?

A) Door to door
B) Telephone
C) Jails
D) Mental hospitals

Question 40

The first state to permit physician-assisted suicide, according to the text, is:

A) Texas
B) Oregon
C) California
D) Vermont

Question 41

Are suicide prevention centers actually helping prevent suicide? What are the methodological challenges to answering this question?

Question 42

Describe the suicide process by providing a hypothetical situation involving someone named "Jill."

Question 43

What are some of the similarities and differences among different countries mentioned in the text regarding social patterns in suicide? Are there any general trends that appear largely universal?

Question 44

Define the four types of suicide outlined by Durkheim and provide examples of each. Which type is most likely to explain higher rates of suicide among the elderly and why?

Question 45

Is suicide universally condemned? If so, why? If not, provide examples of the lack of universal consensus in different places and over time.