5.7 Suicide

Use the following questions to prepare for your online assessment.

REMEMBER…IF SOMEONE IS TALKING WITH YOU ABOUT SUICIDE BE SURE TO TELL A TRUSTED ADULT, PARENT, TEACHER, OR COUNSELOR.

1. Using the STATS button on the activity page, list at least 3 key stats relative to adolescent suicide.
⦁ among youth ages 10-14
⦁ 1.3/100,000 or 272 deaths among 20,910,440 children in this age group
⦁ gender ratio for this age group was 3:1 (males: females).

2. What can you conclude about the problem of adolescent suicide using the stats above? Maybe bullying , or family problems

3. Locate and include three agency or group websites and phones numbers a person can contact to receive help. Include at least one location in your community.

A. Name:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Contact information:1-800-273-8255

B. Name:Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
14901 Crisis Center Plaza
Tampa, FL 33613
Contact information:[phone]

C. Name:Florida Suicide Hotlines
Contact information:[phone]

1. Counter the myths below with reality, using the Myths link on the Activity page of this assignment. Read each myth and be able to give a counter statement for explaining why the idea is a myth.
⦁ People who commit suicide don't warn others. - No. People who talk about suicide are in pain and need help. And telling them that they "just want something" or "are trying to manipulate" is both insensitive and ignorant. People often talk about suicide before dying by suicide. Always take talk about suicide seriously. Always.

⦁ People who talk about suicide are only trying to get attention. They won't really do it. - False. According to research, as many as 75% of the people who commit suicide do or say something to indicate their state of mind and intentions before they act. If a person has to go to the extreme of threatening to do his or herself bodily harm or commit suicide, it is not that he or she wants attention, they need it!

⦁ Once someone has already decided to commit suicide, nothing is going to stop him/her. Suicidal people clearly want to die. - False. Suicide is an ambivalent act with anywhere from 20 to 100 attempts (depending on age, sex and other circumstances) for every completion. Most people who attempt suicide do not want to die, they want their pain to stop, and that can lead to self-destructive and life-threatening acts. The vast majority of people who call suicide hotlines who have already taken a potentially lethal action, change their minds as their situation deteriorates, ultimately asking for help.

⦁ Once the emotional state improves, the risk of suicide is over. - Sometimes suicidal people feel better because they have decided to die by suicide, and may feel a sense of relief that the pain will soon be over.

⦁ After a person has attempted suicide, it is unlikely he/she will try again. - People who attempt suicide and survive will oftentimes make additional attempts.

⦁ Don't mention suicide to people who are showing signs of severe depression. It will plant the idea in their minds and they will act on it. - Asking people if they are thinking about suicide does not give them the idea for suicide. And it is important to talk about suicide with people who are suicidal because you will learn more about their mindset and intentions, and allow them to diffuse some of the tension that is causing their suicidal feelings.
⦁ Abusing drugs or alcohol and getting in trouble with the law does not have any correlation with suicide attempts. - Oftentimes people who die by suicide are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
5. What are some warning signs of suicide? (Warning Signs Links) * Talk about suicide, death, and/or no reason to live.
* Be preoccupied with death and dying.
* Withdraw from friends and/or social activities.
* Have a recent, severe loss (especially a relationship), or threat of a significant loss.
* Experience drastic changes in behavior.
* Lose interest in hobbies, work, school, etc.
* Prepare for death by making out a will (unexpectedly) and final arrangements.
* Give away prized possessions.
* Have attempted suicide before.
* Take unnecessary risks; be reckless and/or impulsive.
* Lose interest in their personal appearance.
* Increase their use of alcohol or drugs.
* Express a sense of hopelessness.
* Be faced with a situation of humiliation or failure.
* Have a history of violence or hostility.
* Have been unwilling to "connect" with potential helpers.

6. After the story “My Friend Mike,” what were some of the warning signs of suicide that Mike had?
* Take unnecessary risks; be reckless and/or impulsive.
* Withdraw from friends and/or social activities. * Talk about suicide, death, and/or no reason to live.
* Lose interest in their personal appearance.
* Give away prized possessions.

7. Mike was in a crisis and needed to make the right decision for his life. Choose and explain why it would be best for Mike to either make this decision by himself, or with the help of others. ith the help of others , cause when your in a mental thinking process like that you cant think right and you cant make proper desicions by yourself so itll be better if you confide in someone and tell them whats going on .

8. Explain how you think a person who talks about suicide could be affected if they meet with a mental health counselor or cannot meet with a counselor. Do you think having health insurance should be a factor?
- a person could be afftected if they meet a mental health couselor cause then maybee the couselor can help them or talk them out into commiting something they really dont wanna do and yess health insurance should be a factor whta if they cant pay for it ??