PSY 215: Psychopathology/Abnormal Psych - Ch. 7

Parasuicide

A suicide attempt that does not result in death.

Suicidal behavior disorder

A proposed category of disorder, not yet officially recognized as a disorder in the DSM.

Suicide

A self-inflicted death in which the person acts intentionally, directly, and consciously.

Death seeker

Those who unquestionably intend to end their lives when they attempt suicide.

Death initiator

Those who unquestionably intend to end their lives when they attempt suicide, but they act out of a belief that the process of death is already underway and they are simply speeding up the process.

Death ignorer

Those who attempt suicide who do not believe it will mean an end to their existence.

Death darer

Those who attempt suicide and experience mixed feelings about their intent to die.

Subintentional death

A death in which the victim plays an indirect, hidden, partial, or unconscious role.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)

Direct and deliberate destruction of one’s own body tissue that is not accompanied by an intent to die.

Retrospective analysis

A psychological autopsy in which clinicians piece together information about a person’s suicide from the person’s past.

Hopelessness

A pessimistic belief that one’s present circumstances, problems, or mood will not change.

Dichotomous thinking

Viewing problems and solutions in rigid either-or terms.

Postvention

Post-suicide programs for those who are affected by the suicide of another person, often found in schools.

Thanatos

A basic human "death instinct" proposed by Sigmund Freud. Suicidal individuals direct this instinct onto themselves due to self-anger.

Egoistic suicide

Suicides that are carried out by people who society has no control over.

Altruistic suicide

Suicides that are carried out by people who are deeply integrated into their specific social structure and intentionally sacrifice their lives for its well-being.

Anomic suicide

Suicide carried out by those who are failed by their social structures, often leaving them without a sense of belonging.

Interpersonal theory of suicide

A theory that asserts that people with perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and a psychological capability to carry out suicide are the most likely to attempt suicide. Also called interpersonal-psychological theory.

Perceived burdensomeness

The belief that one’s existence places a heavy and permanent burden on their family, friends, and even society.

Thwarted belongingness

The feeling of being isolated and alienated from others — not an integral part of a family or social network.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders.

Brain-circuit dysfunction

Dysfunction within the brain's specific communication highways, often regarding neurotransmitter activity and/or interconnectivity.

Suicide prevention program

A program that tries to identify people who are at risk of killing themselves and to offer them crisis intervention.

Suicide hotline

24-hour-a-day telephone services for those struggling with suicidal thoughts or self injury.

Paraprofessional

Someone who is trained in counseling but does not have a formal degree.

Crisis intervention

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.

Self-Injury Implicit Association Test

An approach to assessing suicide risk where the patient is instructed to pair suicide-related words ("dead") with personally relevant words ("I") and with personally irrelevant words ("they").

Suicide education program

Public education programs for suicide that often take place in schools, focussing on both students and teachers