chap 7- suicide

What is Suicide?:

An intentioned death- a self inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct, and conscious effort to end their life  

what are the two main research methods when studying suicide?

• Retrospective analysis: a psychological autopsy in which clinicians and researchers piece together data from the suicide victim’s past- relatives, friends, or therapists may remember past statements, convos, and behaviors that shed light on a suicide.  

• Studying the people who survive their suicide attempts 

4 kinds of people who intenionally end their lives:

1. death seeker 

2. death initiator

3. death ignorer

4. death darer

death seeker:

clearly intend to end their lives at the time they attempt suicide. This signleness of pourpose may last only a short time- and can change to confusion the next hour or day and then return again in short order.

death initiator:

clearly intend to end their lives, but they act out of a belief that the process of death is already under way and tha they’re simply hastening the process.

death ignorer:

do not believe that their self-inflicted death will mean the end of their existence- they believe they’re traiding their present lives for a better or happier existence.

death darer:

experience mixxed feelings or ambivalence abiout their intent to die, even at the moment of their attempt and they show this ambivalence in the act itself. (ex- russian roulette) 

Subintentional deaths:

when poele play indirect, covert, partial, or unconscious roles in their own deaths. (ex- drug, alcohol, tabacco use, recurrent physical fighting, or medication mismanagement, self injury or self-mutilation (cutting or burning oneself)) 

Nonsuicidal self-injury:

direct or deliberate destruction of the body tha is not accompanied by an actual intent to die