Deck 9: Suicide

Question 1

Dr. Sharma says, "Suicide does not deserve to be studied separate and apart from depression because it is not a major cause of death in the United States. Also, we are at a point in time when there is decreased openness to talking about issues of death and dying, the meaning of suicide, and the right to take one's own life. Moreover, suicide is not classified in DSM-5 because most suicidal persons do not exhibit psychiatric symptoms." Which part of Dr. Sharma's statement is accurate?

A) Suicide is not classified in DSM-5.
B) Most suicidal persons do not exhibit psychiatric symptoms
C) Suicide does not deserve to be studied separate and apart from depression because it is not a major cause of death in the United States.
D) We are at a point in time when there is decreased openness to talking about issues of death and dying, the meaning of suicide, and the right to take one's own life.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which elderly person is most likely to commit suicide if depressed?

A) Harold, a married African American male
B) Lawrence, a married white American male
C) Vern, a divorced white American male
D) Vivian, a single African American female

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A 90-year-old woman kills herself rather than continue suffering with terminal bone cancer. A teenager commits suicide when his girlfriend breaks up with him and his parents are unconcerned. A religious fanatic kills himself to protest religious persecution. These examples of suicide suggest that ____.

A) suicide cannot be studied in a scientific manner
B) all suicide stems from mental disorder
C) there are many different reasons for suicide
D) suicide is basically a sociological phenomenon

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Psychiatrist Carl Johnson ended his life with a. gunshot. He did so, at least in part, because ____.

A) he was in intolerable, unremitting physical pain
B) he was suffering from a terminal illness
C) he did not see any hope in his future
D) he suffered from bipolar disorder and wanted to avoid medication

Question 5

Which statement below is accurate?

A) Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15-24.
B) For every person who completes a suicide, there are about two who attempt it.
C) Suicide is much more common among college students than among people of the same age who are not in college.
D) It is relatively easy to tell if an "accident" was really a suicide.

Question 6

Statistically, who is at greatest risk for committing suicide?

A) Bobby, a 14-year-old African American male
B) Star, a 35-year-old Native American female
C) Stuart, a 65-year-old white male
D) Sue, a 30-year-old Japanese American female

Question 7

____ is patterned after a medical procedure, and is a systematic attempt to understand the reasons for a person's suicide or homicide through case history analysis and interviews with family and friends.

A) Psychological autopsy
B) Terminal probe
C) Anomic assessment
D) Postmortem analysis

Question 8

Professor Salazar is talking to his class about suicide among young people. He tells them, "Approximately 38,000 people kill themselves each year in the United States. Over the past ten years, suicides for young people aged 15 to 24 increased 20 percent for males and 42 percent for females. In 2007, suicide was the leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 24 years old. Recent research also indicates that suicide rates are much higher for college students than for their peers who don't attend college." Which part of Professor Salazar's statement is accurate?

A) Recent research indicates that suicide rates are much higher for college students than for their peers who don't attend college.
B) Over the past ten years, suicides for young people aged 15 to 24 increased 20 percent for males and 42 percent for females.
C) In 2007, suicide was the leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 24
D) Approximately 38,000 people kill themselves each year in the United States.

Question 9

Which of the following is among the six common characteristics of suicide?

A) Most people who end their own lives have clearly decided that they no longer want to live.
B) The most common emotion in suicide is apathy.
C) Only a small minority of those successful in their suicide attempts give some indication of their intentions.
D) Suicide is a way to end intolerable psychological pain.

Question 10

Which of the following is accurate about people who attempt suicide?

A) Most of them leave suicide notes.
B) Most of them want to cause pain for the people they leave behind.
C) Alcohol increases suicidality by decreasing inhibitory control.
D) Virtually all of them suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.

Question 11

What problem is associated with studying people who survive their suicide to understand the reasons for why a person commits suicide?

A) Attempters are more likely to be adolescents.
B) Attempters are more likely to have good skills in conflict resolution.
C) People who succeed in ending their lives most likely died of a drug overdose.
D) People who survive suicide attempts differ from those who are successful in their attempt.

Question 12

Dr. Charon, a sociologist, is likely to find the lowest rates of suicide among people who are ____.

A) divorced
B) single
C) widowed
D) married

Question 13

Research on college student suicide indicates that ____.

A) More than 50% of college students report suicidal thoughts
B) money problems is the most common factor contributing to suicidal ideation and behavior among college students
C) social stigmas associated with suicide does not exist among college students
D) almost all graduate students who seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months confided in someone

Question 14

Suicide should be discussed separately from depression because ____.

A) there is little correlation between depression and suicide
B) the cause of suicide is biological, while the cause of depression is environmental
C) there are many causes of suicide, and it may represent a separate clinical entity
D) suicide is more related to schizophrenia than to depression

Question 15

One of the most common characteristics of suicide is ____.

A) to seek a solution to an unsolvable problem
B) to get even with other people
C) to make other people remember the person who committed suicide
D) to achieve a higher state of existence

Question 16

____ are more likely to attempt suicide; ____ are more likely to succeed at committing suicide.

A) White adolescents; Native American adolescents
B) Females; males
C) White males over 40; African American males in their 20s
D) Unattached individuals; married persons

Question 17

Dr. Elmer is interviewing the friends, family, and therapist of a person who committed suicide so that she can better understand the reasons for suicide. This assessment is ____.

A) called a medical autopsy
B) called a psychological autopsy
C) relatively easy to do because it involves direct evidence
D) based on the biological approach to mental disorders

Question 18

Rachel is studying suicide. She is surprised to learn that historically, people avoided talking about suicide because of the ____.

A) shame and stigma involved in taking one's life
B) pain of losing a loved one
C) lack of available statistics to make a discussion meaningful
D) aura of honor bestowed on people who take their own lives

Question 19

"Suicidal ideation" refers to ____.

A) "Suicidal ideation" refers to ____.
B) ideas about ways to convince others to commit suicide
C) thoughts about suicide
D) explanations of why people commit suicide

Question 20

Research investigating the role of gender in suicide has found that ____.

A) women tend to choose more lethal forms of suicide
B) men are less likely than women to complete a suicide attempt
C) women have lower rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
D) men tend to choose more lethal forms of suicide

Question 21

A mental health professional wanting to reduce the risk of suicide in a client who uses alcohol would probably say, ____.

A) "Stop drinking. Alcohol constricts your thinking, and that is dangerous."
B) "If you stop drinking suddenly, you will experience alcohol myopia, a dangerous condition."
C) "Alcohol myopia is a pleasant state that will probably reduce your likelihood of committing suicide."
D) "I'm not worried about your drinking because you are less likely to take your life when intoxicated than when sober."

Question 22

A friend of yours says, "I heard that suicide is correlated to depression and feeling hopeless. However, those who those who commit suicide rarely suffer from a mental disorder or abuse substances. In fact, when people are at the depths of depression, they are most likely to commit suicide." Which portion of your friend's statement is accurate?

A) Suicide is correlated to depression and feeling hopeless.
B) Suicide is most likely committed during the depths of depression.
C) Those who those who commit suicide rarely suffer from a mental disorder.
D) Those who those who commit suicide rarely abuse substances.

Question 23

Which person is at highest risk for committing suicide?

A) Harriet L., a 35-year-old devout Catholic
B) George T., an elderly white widower
C) Martha K., a young married professional
D) Abdullah J., a middle class married man of Syrian ancestry

Question 24

Among children younger than fifteen, the most common suicide method tends to be ____, and for older children, the most common suicide method is ____.

A) jumping from buildings; drug overdose
B) drug overdose; jumping form buildings
C) firearms; poisoning
D) drowning; firearms

Question 25

Which psychological state of mind is most predictive of suicidal behavior?

A) depression
B) dissociation
C) anxiety
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 26

Which statement is accurate?

A) It is rare for people to communicate their intention to commit suicide.
B) Suicide rates are generally at their highest during times of war.
C) In the United States, Asian Americans have the highest overall rates of suicide.
D) Most people who attempt suicide are ambivalent about dying.

Question 27

When it comes to suicidal behavior, men are more likely than women to ____.

A) actually kill themselves
B) attempt suicide when psychotic
C) attempt, but not complete, suicide
D) use drug overdoses as their method

Question 28

Of the following widowed individuals, who has the lowest risk for suicide?

A) Cleo, a white female
B) Shanti, an African American female
C) Jefferson, an African American male
D) Martin, a white male

Question 29

Which professional would be most likely to commit suicide?

A) A CPA
B) A pediatrician
C) A teacher
D) A psychiatrist

Question 30

A disturbing change in suicidal behavior is that women are now ____.

A) more likely to use poisoning by barbiturates
B) completing suicide more often
C) more likely to commit suicide by "accident" as by any other method
D) more likely to be married

Question 31

Research seems to show that psychache about the future ____.

A) is unrelated to the likelihood of suicide
B) is even more strongly related to suicidal behavior than depression is
C) is not strongly related to depression
D) causes depression but not suicide

Question 32

Researchers who study suicide statistics believe that the number of actual suicides is ____.

A) a pretty accurate reflection of reality
B) probably 25-30 percent lower than what is reported
C) probably 25-30 percent higher than what is reported
D) probably underreported because of the concern about copycat suicides

Question 33

The stimulus for suicide is generally ____.

A) frustration with life
B) intolerable psychological pain
C) ambivalence about living
D) a desire to be remembered by others

Question 34

Of the following countries, which has the highest suicide rate?

A) China
B) Hungary
C) Saudi Arabia
D) United States

Question 35

Postmortem studies on individual who committed suicide have revealed alterations in an area of the brain. Which area of the brain is showing unique DNA alterations?

A) amygdala
B) prefrontal cortex
C) thalamus
D) thalamus

Question 36

An emergency medical squad arrives at the house of a man who has killed himself. The odds are that the method of committing suicide was ____.

A) breathing the fumes from the engine of a car in a closed garage
B) ingesting barbiturates or other depressants
C) using a knife to cut himself
D) using a firearm

Question 37

Researchers attribute the link between alcohol and suicide to a condition that is characterized by a constriction of cognitive and perceptual processes and narrowing a person's focus on their personal problems. This explanation of the effects of alcohol on suicide is called ____.

A) alcohol-induced myopia
B) alcohol-induced presbyopia
C) Korsakoff's syndrome
D) alcohol-induced blindness

Question 38

Research by Drum and colleagues (2009) found that ____.

A) more than 90 percent of undergraduate and graduate college students reported suicidal thoughts
B) more than 50 percent of undergraduate and graduate college students reported suicidal thoughts
C) more than 50 percent of undergraduate and graduate college students reported seriously considering suicide
D) more than 90 percent of undergraduate and graduate college students reported seriously considering suicide

Question 39

What is the primary reason that countries such as Italy and Ireland have lower suicide rates?

A) The majority religion there has strong prohibitions against suicide.
B) They do not experience the stressors common to promoting suicide, such as economic difficulties.
C) They have longer summers, so fewer citizens experience seasonal affective disorder, which is often a precursor to suicide.
D) They have better psychological facilities.

Question 40

Consider these suicidal patients: Mary is in the depths of a severe depression. Jack is hospitalized for depression. Patty has just gotten her first weekend pass from the psychiatric hospital. Who is at highest risk for suicide?

A) Mary
B) Jack
C) Patty
D) Mary and Patty are equally high risks.

Question 41

When television newscasters dramatize suicides, there is the danger of ____.

A) reducing the early identification of suicide attempters
B) increasing the lethality of the methods that suicide attempters choose
C) increasing the sense of depression among adolescents
D) generating copycat suicides

Question 42

Durkheim's theory suggests that ____.

A) suicides are mostly selfish acts
B) suicide is driven by unconscious, self-destructive motives
C) suicide is caused primarily by a chemical imbalance in the brain
D) suicide can result from an inability to integrate oneself with society

Question 43

Research indicates that victims of bullying are ____ to consider suicide than non-victims. 

A) 2 to 9 times
B) 30 to 40 times
C) 15 times
D) just as likely

Question 44

Which statement about suicide among children and youths is accurate?

A) The suicide rate in the United States has not changed over the past 25 years.
B) Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.
C) Children who commit suicide tend to have high levels of 5-HIAA in their brains.
D) About 12,000 children between ages 5 and 14 attempt suicide each year in the United States.

Question 45

Which statement concerning suicide among the young is most accurate?

A) Adolescent males commit the majority of suicides.
B) Adolescents are most likely to attempt suicide in the summer, and adults are at highest risk in the winter.
C) Adolescent females commit the majority of suicides.
D) The rates of suicide are relatively stable year-round.

Question 46

Suppose that five years from now, there is a blood test that assesses the likelihood of a person's committing suicide. It is likely that this test will measure the blood levels of ____.

A) dexamethasone
B) serotonin
C) dopamine
D) adrenalin

Question 47

Dr. Ethan says, "Suicide rates vary with occupation and income group. They also vary depending on the individual's relationship to and interaction with society." Dr. Ethan's remarks reflect which perspective on suicide?

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

Question 48

A schizophrenic who commits suicide is most likely experiencing ____.

A) delusions of persecution
B) remission of symptoms
C) auditory hallucinations
D) an episode of depression

Question 49

Based on research, which teenager is at greatest risk for completing a suicide?

A) Sandy, whose parents are both employed
B) Sam, who is the family scapegoat
C) Sarah, who shows little hostility
D) Steve, who shows no signs of psychological impairment

Question 50

Camp Walakota is a "spiritual boot camp" for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe teens. What does the camp do to try to improve the quality of life for the campers?

A) It helps them assimilate into white culture.
B) It provides them with remedial education so they can get jobs.
C) It reacquaints them with their cultural heritage.
D) It teaches them Western religious values.

Question 51

Regina, a 60-year-old widow, is most likely to use which means of attempting suicide?

A) a gun
B) a knife
C) sleeping pills
D) hanging

Question 52

An explanation for the increase in youth suicides relates to ____.

A) the FDA warning of an increased suicide risk for children taking SSRI antidepressants
B) unwelcome physical changes
C) access to firearms
D) degree of education

Question 53

Thieu is very committed to his religious and political views. He believes that his suicide by self-immolation will bring global attention to the plight of his people. If Thieu commits suicide, we might consider this type of suicide ____.

A) a means of ending suffering
B) a form of protest
C) an act of hopelessness
D) a form of atonement

Question 54

Suicide methods of those suffering from schizophrenia are often ____.

A) violent and bizarre
B) hanging
C) drowning
D) poisoning

Question 55

When children and adolescents mimic a previous suicide or imitate the suicide of a celebrity or close friend, this is considered a ____.

A) "copy cat" suicide
B) "black box" warning
C) "bullycide"
D) correlate of suicide

Question 56

Norman, a 71-year-old white widower, is very depressed. He still lives in the small town that he grew up in and attends church every Sunday. He also attends many other regular social activities during the week. What statement regarding Norman's susceptibility to suicide is most accurate?

A) Norman is at minimal risk to commit suicide.
B) The fact that Norman is an elderly, white, depressed male puts him in a high-risk group, but his social support system is a positive sign.
C) Norman displays all the risk factors associated with suicide and is likely to commit suicide.
D) Norman requires immediate hospitalization.

Question 57

Butch is Lakota. Which of the following is currently a risk factor that he and his friends face with regard to suicide?

A) interaction with their elders
B) invalidation of their cultural lifestyle
C) marital discord
D) resources for clinical care

Question 58

A researcher is investigating the neurotransmitters associated with suicide. She is likely to find that in those who complete suicide, ____.

A) 5-HIAA levels are abnormally low
B) norepinephrine levels are abnormally high
C) adrenalin levels are abnormally low
D) serotonin levels are abnormally high

Question 59

"In my view, suicide is related to the impact of sociocultural factors on a person." Who is most likely to have made this statement?

A) Thomas Szasz
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Aaron Beck
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 60

Research addressing the connection between suicide and genetic factors suggests that ____.

A) there is very little relationship between the two
B) genetics plays a major role in susceptibility to suicide
C) the relationship between the two is not clear
D) environmental factors play a much stronger role than genetics

Question 61

A psychologist who is asked to assess patients' lethality is being asked to find out ____.

A) the probability that they will choose to end their lives
B) whether they will survive their suicidal actions
C) whether other people will copy their actions
D) which method they are like to choose when attempting suicide

Question 62

Mental health professionals believe that potential suicide victims ____.

A) always announce their intentions as an attention-seeking device
B) are ambivalent about wanting to kill themselves
C) cannot be dissuaded because they are psychotic
D) are nearly impossible to detect

Question 63

Providing intensive short-term help to assist potential suicide victims in resolving a life crisis is the aim of ____.

A) traditional therapy
B) crisis intervention
C) systematic desensitization
D) insight psychotherapy

Question 64

What is the usual sequence of help in crisis intervention?

A) First, the client is helped to resolve the immediate crisis, and then traditional therapy is offered.
B) First, the individual is treated as an outpatient, and then the individual comes in for inpatient medical treatment.
C) First, relatives are contacted, and then the staff works on the crisis with the individual.
D) First, traditional therapy explores the motivation for the crisis, then the individual is hospitalized to prevent the suicide, and then therapy is provided to the individual and his or her family.

Question 65

Gary was hospitalized when he was considered at high risk for suicide. A team of counselors saw him for four hours every day for three days until his suicidal thinking was greatly reduced. The team was extremely active in mobilizing his family and occupational resources outside the hospital. This experience best illustrates ____.

A) crisis intervention
B) "right-to-suicide" interventions
C) how psychotherapy is used with suicidal people
D) suicide prevention programs

Question 66

When working with a patient who is potentially suicidal, Dr. Gold uses a common three-step process. This would include which of the following?

A) determining the degree of probability that the person will act on the suicidal wish
B) establishing a suicide prevention center
C) knowing what factors are highly correlated with stress
D) beginning a program of psychotherapy

Question 67

Which type of intervention has been established in local communities to help potentially suicidal individuals who are in acute distress but are not being formally treated?

A) suicide prevention centers
B) crisis intervention centers
C) community mental health clinics
D) state mental hospitals

Question 68

Imagine that there are two organizations in a community, Help Inc. and Open Door. Help Inc. is available to everyone in the community through a telephone contact. Callers are trained to assess suicidal callers. Open Door has a team of mental health professionals in a clinic where short-term help is given to those who are in immediate danger of suicide. Which description is accurate?

A) Help Inc. is a suicide prevention center.
B) Open Door is a suicide prevention center.
C) Help Inc. is a crisis intervention program.
D) Open Door is a community prevention program.

Question 69

High-intensity assessment and treatment during which professionals take charge of the suicidal individual's personal, social, and professional life outside the psychiatric facility characterize ____.

A) suicide prevention work
B) psychological autopsies
C) crisis intervention work
D) paraprofessional assistance

Question 70

If we looked at the death records for a large city, we would probably find that suicide was most common among ____.

A) Hispanic Americans
B) elderly white men
C) middle-aged women
D) young white females

Question 71

"I'd make everyone happier if I just shot myself" is an example of a ____; revising one's will and giving away one's record collection are examples of ____.

A) psychodynamic clue of suicide; behavioral clues of suicide
B) behavioral clue of suicide; suicidal gestures
C) suicidal gesture; suicide attempts
D) verbal clue of suicide; behavioral clues of suicide

Question 72

A suicide prevention program in San Francisco, where there is a large Asian American population, would target efforts at ____.

A) elderly women who are second- or third-generation Americans
B) college students who have strong family ties
C) elderly men who have just arrived in the United States
D) young men who are second- or third-generation Americans

Question 73

Early warning signs of suicide include ____.

A) giving away belongings
B) sudden changes in behavior
C) putting affairs in order
D) expressions of guilty feelings

Question 74

Honey makes daily threats that she is going to kill herself and she has had made several unsuccessful attempts. Mental health professionals who work with suicidal clients know that ____.

A) Honey is trying to get attention
B) Honey is not serious about taking her life
C) Honey's threats should be taken seriously
D) Honey is more likely to kill someone other than herself

Question 75

Of the following groups of elderly men, which is at highest risk for suicide?

A) Chinese who have just arrived in the United States
B) American Indians
C) African Americans living in rural areas
D) Chinese who are acculturated and have strong family ties

Question 76

Who would be expected to use the most violent and bizarre method for committing suicide?

A) Lisa, who has been diagnosed with unipolar disorder
B) David, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder
C) Mack, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia
D) George, who has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder

Question 77

Which perspective offers the most viable explanation of suicide?

A) multipath
B) psychodynamic
C) biological
D) sociocultural

Question 78

Feelings of isolation and a sense of having failed to earn sufficient money are reasons why suicide rates are so high among ____.

A) adolescent females
B) first-generation Asian immigrants
C) older black men
D) third-generation Asian Americans

Question 79

Peter lives in a state that has one of the highest rates of suicide in the United States. Of the following states, he must live in ____.

A) New Jersey
B) New York
C) Massachusetts
D) Nevada

Question 80

Some clues of suicidal intent are direct, and some are indirect. Which of the following is an indirect clue?

A) A person loading a pistol and saying he knows how to use it on himself
B) A student giving away his treasured collection of CDs
C) An employee saying, "If I don't get the promotion, I'll kill myself."
D) A teenager storing up depressant drugs and scheduling a time to take them