Who Is at Risk and Why

Who is at Risk and Why?

By: Loretta Tenbrink

PSY303: Abnormal Psychology (BKI1232A)

Instructor: Elin Der-Hacopian

August 27th 2012

What is the point of life anymore? Why should I care? What's wrong with sitting on the couch and not moving around and being around people anymore? Have you ever had the thoughts? I can admit that I myself have had the thoughts when things seem to get so bad that I feel like the world is crashing down on me. The question then becomes am I depressed and if I am would I really think about ending it all and committing suicide. The question though is if you are that depressed how does the idea of committing suicide get introduced into your mind. And how long before the thoughts become actions.

Suicide (risk) Assessment refers to the establishment of a clinical judgment of risk in very near future, based on the weighing of very large mass of available clinical detail. Risk assessment carried out in a systematic, disciplined way is more than a guess or intuition it is a reasoned, inductive process, and a necessary exercise in exercise in estimating probability over short periods.

Looking into many different sources there are many different ways that psychologist look into the threat of suicide and determine if you are considered an "high risk" or just a "low risk" and if your personal depression is leading up to your thoughts of suicide. Questions that they may look into is: 1. Details, 2. How prepared you are, 3. How soon, 4. How (lethality of method, 5. chance of intervention. Depending upon how the questions are answered can determine how far at risk you may be. For example if you were to answer the questions as 1. Well thought out, 2. Has means in hand, 3. Immediately, 4. Gun, hanging, jumping, 5. No one nearby: isolated. Than you would be considered a very high risk. But then it comes down to is the why. Are you depressed and can't seem to find a way out. Did something traumatic happen in your life and you can't let it go. Research indicates the relationship between hopelessness (depression) and suicidal intent in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. With that research also shows that subjective hopelessness was associated with fewer reasons for living and increased risk for suicide.

Looking further into the subject it has been found that men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than it is for women. Men are more amped to just commit the act than they are to really think it over. Life stressors may include interpersonal loss or conflict, economic problems such as financial ruin associated with a scandal or being fired, legal problems such as being arrested, and moving.

Suicide "means to kill one's