SUICIDE
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Medical views of suicide
Modern medicine treats suicide as a mental health issue. Overwhelming suicidal thoughts areconsidered a medical emergency. Medical professionals’ advice that people who has expressed plans to kill themselves be encouraged to seek medical attention immediately.This is especially important if the means (weapons, drugs, or other methods) are available, or if the patient has crafted a detailed plan for executing the suicide. Special consideration is given totrained personnel to look for suicidal signs in patients.Depressive people are considered a high-risk group for suicidal behavior. Suicide hotlines arewidely available for people seeking help. However, the negative and often too clinical receptionthat many suicidal people receive after relating their feelings to health professionals (threats of institutionalization, simply increasing dosages of medication, the stigmatization of suicide as atopic of discussion, etc), often causes them to keep their suicidal thoughts to themselves.
TERMINOLOGIES
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Suicide attempt- any act intended to end in suicide
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Suicidal ideation- thoughts of harming oneself
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Suicidal gesture- any action that appears to be a suicide attempt but that is actuallycontrived or manipulative and that results in only minimal harm, such as superficial cuton the wrist or small overdose of sleeping pills. Suicide threat- verbal threat to commitsuicide.
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Completed suicide- suicide attempt resulting in death
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Lethality- the level of risk in suicide method chosen to cause death.
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Rational Suicide- self slaying base on reasoned choice and is categorized as voluntaryactive euthanasia.
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Right-to-refuse-treatment- well-informed patients with decision making capacity have anautonomous right to refuse and forego recommended treatments.
Causes
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Depression and Anxiety
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Loss and Grief
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Substance Dependence, especially
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Alcohol and Amphetamines
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Other Mental Illness
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Gambling
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War, Famine, Poverty, Disaster
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Changes in body image
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