QPR - NPAIHB



Myths and Facts about Suicide

Directions: Please read the following statements about suicide. Circle T if you believe the statement is true and F if you believe the statement is false.

|T |F |No one can stop a suicide; it is inevitable. |

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|T |F |Confronting a person about suicide will only make them angry and increase the risk of suicide. |

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|T |F |Only experts can prevent suicide. |

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|T |F |Suicidal people keep their plans to themselves. |

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|T |F |Adolescents who talk about suicide do not attempt or die by suicide. |

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|T |F |Parents are often unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior. |

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|T |F |Most adolescents who attempt suicide fully intend to die. |

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|T |F |Once a person decides to die by suicide, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them. |

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|T |F |There is a significant difference between male and female adolescents regarding suicidal behavior. |

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|T |F |Talking about suicide in the classroom will promote suicidal ideas and suicidal behavior. |

Myths and Facts about Suicide: Answers

Myths about suicide are pervasive in our society. They also present a large barrier to learning and to effective suicide prevention.

1. Myth: No one can stop a suicide. It is inevitable.

Fact: If people in a crisis get the help they need, they will possibly never be suicidal again.

2. Myth: Confronting a person about suicide will only make them angry and increase the risk of suicide.

Fact: Asking someone directly about suicidal intent lowers anxiety, opens up communication and lowers the risk of an impulsive act.

3. Myth: Only experts can prevent suicide.

Fact: Suicide prevention is everybody’s business, and anyone can help prevent the tragedy of suicide. Most people who are contemplating suicide are not presently seeing a mental health professional. Most are likely to approach a family member or peer for help. Listening, taking a person seriously, displaying concern and care, and ensuring the person gets the help they need can help save lives.

4. Myth: Suicidal people keep their plans to themselves.

Fact: Most suicidal people communicate their intent sometime during the week preceding their attempt.

5. Myth: Adolescents who talk about suicide do not attempt or die by suicide.

Fact: One of the most ominous warning signs of adolescent suicide is talking repeatedly about one’s own death. Adolescents who make threats of suicide should be taken seriously and provided the help that they need. In this manner, suicide attempts can be averted and lives can be saved.

6. Fact: Parents are often unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior.

Studies have shown that as many as 86% of parents were unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior.

7. Myth: Most adolescents who attempt suicide fully intend to die.

Fact: Most suicidal adolescents do not want suicide to happen. Rather, they are torn between wanting to end their psychological pain through death and wanting to continue living, though only in a more hopeful environment.

8. Myth: Once a person decides to die by suicide, there is nothing anyone can do to stop them.

Fact: Suicide is the most preventable kind of death, and almost any positive action may save a life. One of the most important things an individual can do to prevent suicide is to identify the warning signs of suicide and recognize a person at increased risk for suicide.

9. Fact: There is a significant difference between males and females regarding suicidal behaviors.

In adolescents, females are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than adolescent males to report experiencing suicidal ideation and 3 to 4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Adolescent males are 4 to 5.5 times more likely to die by suicide.

10. Myth: Talking about suicide in the classroom will promote suicidal ideas and suicidal behavior.

Fact: Talking about suicide in the classroom provides adolescents with an avenue to talk about their feelings, enabling them to be more comfortable with expressing suicidal thoughts and increasing their chances of seeking help from a friend or school staff member.

A similar concern (and myth) is that educating teens about suicide leads to increased suicide attempts, since it provides them with ideas and methods about killing themselves. Fact: When issues about suicide are taught in a sensitive, educational context they do not lead to, or cause, further suicidal behaviors. Research shows that following these educational programs, students demonstrate significant gains in knowledge about the warning signs of suicide and about contacting a hotline or crisis center, and show an increased likelihood to refer other students at risk to school counselors and mental health professionals.

Sources: QPR Institute, Oregon Center for Health Statistics, and Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide, .

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