Deck 7: Suicide

Question 1

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding suicide in the United States?

A) Suicide is the tenth most common cause of death.
B) There are approximately 44,000 certified suicides a year.
C) The U.S. has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world.
D) The suicide rate is highest among elderly people.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which country has no reports of suicide?

A) Greece
B) United States
C) China
D) none

Answer 2

D

Question 3

______ experiences high rates of suicide among women, specifically, 56 percent of the world's female suicides.

A) The United States
B) China
C) France
D) Mexico

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Completed suicides come most frequently from which segment of the U.S. population?

A) White males
B) White females
C) African American males
D) African American females

Question 5

Suicide is the ______ leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 24.

A) second
B) third
C) fourth
D) fifth

Question 6

The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in:

A) Southern states with high poverty rates
B) states with higher educational levels
C) low-density Western states such as Nevada and Wyoming
D) high-density states such as New York and Massachusetts.

Question 7

The most common triggering event for youth suicide is:

A) loss of a valued relationship
B) loss of a job
C) failure at school
D) hormonal changes during puberty.

Question 8

Alcohol and drug abuse:

A) is more common among suicidal people of all ages
B) can be a signal as suicide risk increases when a person goes on a "jag"
C) is even more frequently related to suicide with youth than with other age groups
D) all of the above.

Question 9

Which of the following statements best describes the connection between suicide and heavy metal music?

A) Heavy metal bands use subliminal suggestion to corrupt youths.
B) Heavy metal music produces depression and rage, leading to a high suicide rate.
C) Youths from dysfunctional families who have issues with coping and are low in self-esteem are more likely to commit suicide and more likely to listen to heavy metal music.
D) Heavy metal music is associated with lower suicide rates because it offers an outlet and social support.

Question 10

Which of the following factors is associated with higher risk of suicide among youth?

A) Thoughts of many options and possibilities
B) Avoids talking about suicidal intentions
C) No previous suicide attempt
D) A previous suicide attempt

Question 11

All of the following represent a major demographic risk factor for suicide among elderly persons EXCEPT:

A) living in a nursing home
B) being a white male
C) being over age 65
D) living in a rural area.

Question 12

The most common choice of suicide method for elderly men and women in the U.S. is:

A) carbon monoxide poisoning
B) drug overdose
C) staging a car accident
D) use of firearms.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a significant indicator of possible suicide risk among elderly people?

A) loss of appetite
B) stooped, withdrawn, fatigued
C) increased sense of connectedness with and interest in other people
D) lack of eye contact

Question 14

Which is true about Native American suicide?

A) It is most frequent among young Native Alaskans.
B) It is the lowest of all ethnic and racial subpopulations in the United States.
C) It is unusual in having little relationship to alcohol consumption.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 15

Which of the following is TRUE of the suicide profile of African Americans?

A) Religious beliefs and social support play a role in reduced suicide rates.
B) African American males have a higher suicide rate than white males.
C) African American females have an extremely high suicide rate.
D) Historically, African American suicide rates have been the same as those of white Americans.

Question 16

The risk for suicide among people with HIV/AIDS is:

A) about the same as the general population
B) twice as great as the general population
C) is 20 times greater than the general population
D) is 100 times as great as the general population.

Question 17

Suicide rates in cities with major gambling operations are:

A) higher than average for visitors, but average for residents
B) higher than average for both visitors and for residents
C) higher than average for visitors, but lower for residents
D) about average for both visitors and residents.

Question 18

Characteristics associated with "suicide by cop" include:

A) strong homicidal impulses
B) bipolar disorder
C) self-destructive impulses
D) both a and c.

Question 19

______ is the one nation in which the suicide rate for women is higher than men.

A) Argentina
B) China
C) Mexico
D) The Russian Federation

Question 20

Most of the female suicides in China are of the type Durkheim identified as:

A) anomic
B) egoistic
C) fatalistic
D) altruistic.

Question 21

According to ______ in the fifth century, suicide is a violation of the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."

A) Thomas Aquinas
B) Socrates
C) Epicurus
D) St. Augustine

Question 22

"Suicide is sinful because only God has the power to grant life and death." This position was forcefully taken by:

A) the founding fathers of the United States
B) Mohammed
C) St. Thomas Aquinas
D) the Buddha.

Question 23

Laws interpreting suicide as a crime:

A) are on the books throughout the United States
B) are enforced in the New England states only
C) are on the books in about half of the states and the District of Columbia
D) have been erased from the books in the United States.

Question 24

The tradition of daishi developed from:

A) Buddhist teachings on compassion for the elderly
B) the samurai seeking honor on the battlefield
C) Japanese cattle-butchering practices
D) Indian warrior initiation practices.

Question 25

Suicide as a rational alternative to living in an ugly and harsh world was favorably regarded by the:

A) Crusaders
B) Stoics
C) Christian Scientists
D) Neoplatonists.

Question 26

The powerful sociological theory of suicide which highlighted social integration was developed by:

A) St. Thomas Aquinas
B) St. Augustine
C) Freud
D) Durkheim.

Question 27

"______" is the term for suicide by people who have extremely high or excessive concern for the community.

A) Altruistic suicide
B) Anomic suicide
C) Fatalistic suicide
D) None of the above

Question 28

"______" is the term for suicide by people who are lacking sufficient control by societal norms and obligations.

A) Altruistic suicide
B) Egoistic suicide
C) Anomic suicide
D) None of the above

Question 29

The homeless person who feels so isolated and ignored that he takes his own life has demonstrated what Durkheim called ______ suicide.

A) anomic
B) altruistic
C) desperate
D) egoistic

Question 30

The seppuku tradition and the kamikaze combat death are examples of ______ suicide.

A) fatalistic
B) egoistic
C) altruistic
D) anomic

Question 31

Parasuicide is the paranormal experience of "sensing" when a loved one is attempting suicide.

Question 32

In the United States each year, over 44,000 deaths are certified as suicide, which is over 120 per day.

Question 33

The statistics profile tends to over-represent the number of suicides because medical examiners will label the cause as suicide if there is any ambiguity as to how the individual died.

Question 34

The suicide rate is calculated by multiplying the number of suicides in a year by 100,000 and then dividing by the total number of people.

Question 35

China is one of the most gender-associated suicide-prone nations in the world.

Question 36

Academic pressure seems to be related to suicide among college students.

Question 37

The white male suicide rate increases with age, but females and nonwhite males reach their peak vulnerability earlier in adult life.

Question 38

The American Association of Suicidology estimates that nearly 250,000 people are closely affected by a suicidal death each year.

Question 39

Many undergraduates who commit suicide had a higher grade point average than their peers.

Question 40

Research has shown that heavy metal music causes suicide.

Question 41

Research has shown that adolescents who frequently change their place of residence are at a greater risk for suicide.

Question 42

Research has shown that early stressful experiences in childhood can increase the risk of suicide in adulthood by distorting the way the individual thinks about self and the world.

Question 43

About three out of every four elderly male suicides involves the use of firearms.

Question 44

Elderly women may demonstrate "subintentional" death by not following medical advice and socially withdrawing.

Question 45

African American males have a suicide rate that is much lower than that of white American males.

Question 46

There is evidence to suggest that suicide is one of the more culturally acceptable scripts for desperate Chinese women.

Question 47

Jews have traditionally been taught that suicide is sinful, and historically converted to Christianity rather than continue to be persecuted for their beliefs.

Question 48

Insurance companies treat suicide as a crime intended to defraud the underwriters; therefore a family cannot collect any insurance money following a suicide.

Question 49

It is now possible to have death benefits associated with suicide.

Question 50

Families with rigid rules and poor communication are more likely to be associated with youth suicides.

Question 51

What is the definition of the terms

-Altruistic suicide

Question 52

What is the definition of the terms

-Anomic suicide

Question 53

What is the definition of the terms

-Collective representations

Question 54

What is the definition of the terms

-Daishi

Question 55

What is the definition of the terms

-Egoistic suicide

Question 56

What is the definition of the terms

-Fatalistic suicide

Question 57

What is the definition of the terms

-Modernization

Question 58

What is the definition of the terms

-Parasuicide

Question 59

What is the definition of the terms

-Samurai

Question 60

What is the definition of the terms

-Seppuku

Question 61

What is the definition of the terms

-Social integration

Question 62

What is the definition of the terms

-Stoicism

Question 63

What is the definition of the terms

-Suicide

Question 64

What is the definition of the terms

-Suicidal trance

Question 65

What is the definition of the terms

-Suicide rate

Question 66

Explain why the suicide rate cannot be considered a percentage.

Question 67

Explain how the claim could be made that suicide in the United States is mostly a white male problem.

Question 68

List any six of the ten indicators of possible suicide risk among the elderly

Question 69

Name four specific groups of people who are at a higher risk of suicide.

Question 70

Name and describe the five personal meanings of suicide.

Question 71

List any five of the myths about suicide and then tell what the accurate understanding is for each.

Question 72

Compare and contrast the characteristics of youth suicide with that of elder suicide. Describe the research findings associated with each and then tell how their situations are alike and different.

Question 73

Name and describe the four types of suicide as described by Durkheim. Tell where each of the following groups of people would fit into Durkheim's scheme and why: elderly white males, Native Americans, people with HIV/AIDS, and war veterans.

Question 74

Summarize the descent toward suicide as detailed by Richard Heckler (1994).

Question 75

Summarize the guidelines for suicide prevention.