Deck 9: Suicide

Question 1

Many people who attempt suicide fall victim to _____, viewing problems and solutions in rigid either/or terms.

A) "musting"
B) dichotomous thinking
C) catastrophizing
D) selective abstraction

Answer 1

dichotomous thinking

Question 2

Durkheim predicted that societies with greater opportunities for change in individual wealth or status would have higher suicide rates as a result of increased:

A) egoism.
B) anomie.
C) altruism.
D) substance abuse.

Answer 2

anomie.

Question 3

In the past three decades, laboratory studies have offered more direct support for a biological view of suicide with one promising line of research focusing on the role of:

A) dopamine.
B) serotonin.
C) norepinephrine.
D) hormone levels.

Answer 3

serotonin.

Question 4

Which is NOT mentioned as a long-term stressor that commonly precipitates suicide?

A) serious illness
B) alcoholism
C) abusive environment
D) occupational stress

Question 5

The typical caller to an urban suicide prevention center is a(n):

A) young African American female.
B) elderly white man.
C) Native American adolescent.
D) young white female.

Question 6

Research indicates that suicides by people with schizophrenia more often are experiencing feelings of _____, rather than delusions or hallucinations.

A) abandonment
B) anxiety
C) demoralization
D) anger

Question 7

In 2001, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia were approved by law in:

A) the Netherlands.
B) Russia.
C) Denmark.
D) the United States.

Question 8

Studies indicate that as many as _____ percent of the people who attempt suicide drink alcohol just before the act. Autopsies reveal that about _____ of these people are legally intoxicated.

A) 95; three-quarters
B) 15; one-fifth
C) 70; one-fourth
D) 3; two-thirds

Question 9

The primary prevention of suicide lies in:

A) making guns less accessible.
B) making suicide illegal.
C) education.
D) crisis intervention.

Question 10

_____ levels seem to have a role in suicide separate from depression.

A) High dopamine
B) High serotonin
C) Low norepinephrine
D) Low serotonin

Question 11

In a study of identical and fraternal twins, researchers found that, in _____ percent of twin pairs, if one identical twin committed suicide, the other did the same.

A) 21
B) 34
C) 43
D) 81

Question 12

Which country has the highest suicide rate, at about 31.5 out of every 100,000 members of its population?

A) Lithuania
B) Ethiopia
C) Kazakhstan
D) Belarus

Question 13

Which state has enacted a law allowing doctors to assist in suicide by administering a lethal dose of drugs?

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

Question 14

Suicide prevention programs and hotlines focus on:

A) education.
B) crisis intervention.
C) referring suicidal person for medication.
D) referring suicidal persons for civil commitment.

Question 15

One strategy for studying suicide, which is a kind of psychological autopsy in which clinicians and researchers piece together data from a suicide victim's past, is known as:

A) retrospective analysis.
B) pseudoexperimental research.
C) archival analysis.
D) retrograde life detail inspection (RLDI).

Question 16

An unsuccessful attempt to kill oneself is known as:

A) monosuicide.
B) autosuicide.
C) pseudosuicide.
D) parasuicide.

Question 17

According to Edwin Shneidman, members of the Heaven's Gate cult who committed suicide were:

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

Question 18

Compared to the rate of suicide in the United States, countries like Korea, Hungary, and Russia have:

A) much lower rates.
B) about the same rates.
C) much higher rates.
D) no data about suicide rates, since their medical systems do not track such trends.

Question 19

Response programs that are put into action to prevent a rash of suicides after one person, particularly a high-profile individual, commits suicide are referred to as:

A) response interruption.
B) contagion maintenance.
C) interception.
D) postvention.

Question 20

Which is a correct statement about suicide?

A) Suicide is classified as a mental disorder by the DSM-5.
B) Many apparent suicides are probably accidents.
C) Estimates of suicides are probably high.
D) Many apparent accidents are probably suicides.

Question 21

According to Edwin Shneidman, _____, or a feeling of intolerable psychological pain, is an underlying key to suicide.

A) psychache
B) parasthesia
C) anomie
D) thanatos

Question 22

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

A) hopelessness.
B) pessimism.
C) dichotomous thinking.
D) learned helplessness.

Question 23

Which age group is MOST likely to commit suicide because of such problems as illness, hopelessness, disability, and loneliness as the reason for suicide?

A) people under the age of 40
B) people between the ages of 40 and 49
C) people between the age of 50 and 59
D) people over the age of 60

Question 24

_____ times as many women attempt suicide as men, yet men succeed at more than _____ times the rate of women.

A) Two; three
B) Three; three
C) Four; three
D) Three; four

Question 25

Among the top ten causes of death in the United States, suicide ranks:

A) third.
B) fifth.
C) seventh.
D) tenth.

Question 26

Suicide committed by people over whom society has little or no control is known as _____ suicide.

A) egoistic
B) altruistic
C) anomic
D) introjective

Question 27

Which method of killing oneself is used in more than half of all male suicides?

A) hanging
B) guns
C) self-immolation
D) drug overdose

Question 28

Which perspective believes that suicide is the result of anger directed at one's self?

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) sociocultural
D) psychodynamic

Question 29

People who experience mixed feelings about their desire to kill themselves are known as:

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

Question 30

In the United States, which group is most likely to commit suicide?

A) white children under the age of 11
B) Asian American teenagers
C) African Americans between the ages of 25 and 40
D) white American males over the age of 65

Question 31

One of the early pioneers in the field of suicide study was:

A) Sigmund Freud.
B) Erik Erikson.
C) Edwin Shneidman.
D) Carl Jung.

Question 32

Which mental disorder(s) are not mentioned as being linked to suicide?

A) chronic alcoholism
B) personality disorders
C) severe depression
D) schizophrenia

Question 33

Individuals who clearly intend to end their lives at the time they attempt suicide (and fail to do so), only to experience confusion in the very next hour or day, might be classified as:

A) death inviters.
B) death seekers.
C) death egoists.
D) death initiators.

Question 34

Which is NOT a reason why teenagers may attempt suicide?

A) clinical depression
B) low self-esteem
C) changes in hormones
D) feeling hopeless

Question 35

A seriously ill person whose consistent mismanagement of medication led to his or her death would probably be considered a victim of:

A) chronic suicide.
B) parasuicide.
C) suicide.
D) subintentional death.

Question 36

According to Freud, what are the forces that lead a person to attempt or commit suicide?

A) A real or symbolic loss leads to a defense mechanism called introjection, and this in turn leads to suicide as an extreme expression of internalized anger and self-hatred.
B) An inability to adequately overcome the Oedipus or Electra complex leads to a longing for an end to life that results in suicidal behaviors.
C) Fixation at the oral stage leads to behaviors that are overly expressive, and thus suicide is the ultimate in "expressive" behaviors.
D) Death is seen as a way of getting in touch with one's own unconscious, and thus it is viewed by the victim as a desirable behavior.

Question 37

A pilot who sacrifices his life in a fighter-plane skirmish would be categorized as an example of _____ suicide.

A) subintentional
B) egoistic
C) altruistic
D) anomic

Question 38

Which group of Americans has the highest overall rate of suicide?

A) American Indians
B) Asian Americans
C) African Americans
D) white Americans

Question 39

About what portion of Americans believe that terminally ill persons should be free to take their lives or to seek a physician's assistance to do so?

A) one-half
B) one-tenth
C) one-quarter
D) two-thirds

Question 40

Which musicians/musical groups were not mentioned in the text as having produced music that some felt encouraged and/or glorified suicide?

A) Judas Priest
B) Black Sabbath
C) My Chemical Romance
D) Nirvana

Question 41

What is the critical way in which death initiators differ from other categories, according to Edwin 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 42

In his definition of suicide, Edwin Schneidman includes all factors EXCEPT that it:

A) involves conscious effort.
B) is self-inflicted.
C) results from depression or emotional distress.
D) involves indirect effort.

Question 43

How do death darers primarily differ from those in Shneidman's other categories?

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 44

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

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

Question 45

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

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

Question 46

What is a parasuicide?

A) a failed attempt to commit suicide
B) a murder followed by a successful suicide
C) a successfully committed suicide on the first try
D) a successfully committed suicide after many tries

Question 47

According to Edwin 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 48

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

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

Question 49

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

A) 15,000
B) 38,000
C) 120,000
D) 700,000

Question 50

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

A) 10,000
B) 30,000
C) 500,000
D) 1,000,000

Question 51

Compared to heart disease and cancer, suicide accounts for _____ in the United States.

A) about the same number of deaths
B) actually more deaths
C) less than one-tenth of the deaths
D) less than 1 percent of the deaths

Question 52

According to Edwin Shneidman, how do death ignorers primarily differ from other categories?

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 53

According to Edwin 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 54

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

A) death seekers speed along a death sure to occur naturally.
B) death seekers are ambivalent about their death.
C) death seekers intend to end their lives with their action.
D) death seekers believe that death will not end their existence.

Question 55

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. Edwin Shneidman would term Hemingway a:

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

Question 56

Cecil and Jeanne, teenagers, made a love pact, jumping from a cliff to be with each other for eternity. Cecil and Jeanne are examples of what Edwin Shneidman refers to as:

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

Question 57

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 make people hesitate to report it.
D) Suicide is not a DSM-5 category.

Question 58

Sylvia 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. Sylvia is an example of what Edwin Shneidman refers to as a:

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

Question 59

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

A) 30,000
B) 120,000
C) 1 million
D) 2 million

Question 60

Which statement is NOT a reason that estimates of the number of suicides that occur in the United States probably underrepresent the total?

A) It's hard to know for sure whether a death is a suicide or an unintentional accident.
B) Some families don't acknowledge suicide because of the stigma associated with it.
C) Parasuicides are often included in the number of suicides.
D) It's hard to know whether drug overdoses are accidental or not.

Question 61

A teenager's hands and arms are covered with self-inflicted burns, and the teenager seems almost addicted to this destructive behavior. The self-inflicted burns would MOST likely be classified as:

A) self-injury, a variety of Edwin Shneidman's "subintentional death" classification.
B) self-injury, which is not a variety of Edwin Shneidman's "subintentional death" classification.
C) a variety of Edwin Shneidman's "death darer" classification.
D) a variety of Edwin Shneidman's "death seeker" classification.

Question 62

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) Those who have made suicide attempts are part of a suicide education program.

Question 63

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 and then hanged 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 64

Assume that a community is made up of almost exactly equal numbers of these four groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and white Americans, and that everyone is of the same socioeconomic status. Approximately what percent of suicides would you expect to be committed by 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 65

Which aspect of religion is MOST closely linked to suicide?

A) doctrine
B) fellowship
C) devoutness
D) denomination

Question 66

In a community made up of equal numbers of African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans, all of about the same socioeconomic status, someone has just committed suicide. MOST likely that person is:

A) African American.
B) Asian American.
C) Hispanic American.
D) about equally as likely to be African American, Asian American, or Hispanic American.

Question 67

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

A) Less than 5 percent of women who commit suicide use guns.
B) About 20 percent of women who commit suicide use guns.
C) About 30 percent of women who commit suicide use guns.
D) More than two-thirds of women who commit suicide use guns.

Question 68

At the time of the suicide, a suicide victim was receiving psychotherapy and had left a clear suicide note. This suicide victim is:

A) the most common kind; most suicide victims are in psychotherapy, and they leave a suicide note.
B) a somewhat uncommon kind; most suicide victims are in psychotherapy, but they do not leave a suicide note.
C) a somewhat uncommon kind; about half of suicide victims have never received psychotherapy, but they do leave a suicide note.
D) the least common kind; about half of suicide victims have never received psychotherapy, and less than one-third leave a suicide note.

Question 69

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 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 70

In some religious traditions, people whip themselves or force themselves into uncomfortable physical positions as forms of repenting for their own or others' sins. These self-injurious behaviors MOST closely fit which of Edwin Shneidman's categories?

A) death darer
B) subintentional death
C) death initiator
D) death ignorer

Question 71

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

A) A country's economic status is a more important predictor of suicide rates than its major religion.
B) The degree of one's devoutness is a more important predictor of suicide than one's 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 72

If you wanted to tailor a suicide prevention program to the racial group MOST at risk, you should target:

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

Question 73

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 and who might attempt a "copycat" suicide.

Question 74

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

A) fits into the criteria for suicide 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 75

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

A) African Americans.
B) Euro-Americans.
C) American Indians.
D) Asian Americans.

Question 76

Which statement is NOT true regarding gender and suicide?

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

Question 77

What is the cause of death in the majority of male suicides in the United States?

A) hanging
B) car accidents
C) drug overdose
D) use of guns

Question 78

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 79

Which individual has two positive risk factors for suicide?

A) a devout woman
B) a married man
C) a divorced woman
D) a man who is an atheist

Question 80

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.