A Few More Myths About Suicide

A Few More Myths About Suicide

Myth :
People who talk about suicide don't commit suicide.

Fact:
Eight out of 10 people who have killed themselves have verbalized their intent beforehand.

Myth :
Only certain types of people commit suicide.

Fact:
All types of people commit suicide-male and female, young and old, rich and poor, country people and city people. It happens in every racial, ethnic and religious group.

Myth :
When a suicidal person begins to feel better, the danger is over.

Fact:
Most suicides occur within 90 days following improvement in the person's mental-emotional status.

Myth :
People who attempt suicide are merely looking for attention.

Fact:
People who threaten or attempt suicide are really reaching out for help. Calling this manipulative in no way diminishes the potential lethality of their actions.

the wall

A place for your thoughts, and comments.

Recommended Reading

Capuzzi, Dave and Golden, Larry. Preventing
Suicide. Muncie , IN.: Accelerated Development, 1988.

Dunne, Edward, McIntosh, John and Dunne- Maxim, Karen. (Eds.). Suicide and Its Aftermath: Understanding and Counseling the Survivors. New York : W.W. Norton, 1987.

Linzer, Norman. Suicide: The Will To Live Vs.
The Will To Die. New York : Human Science Press, 1984.

Lipschitz, A. College suicide: A review monograph. New York : American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 1990.

Lord, Janice Harris. No Time For Good-byes:
Coping with Sorrow, Anger and Injustice After a Tragic Death. Ventura , Ca.: Path- finder Publishing, 1988.

Rosenthal, Howard. Not With My Life I Don't: Preventing Your Suicide and That of Others. Muncie , IN.: Accelerated Development, 1988.

Schwartz AJ and Whitaker LC. Suicide among college students: Assessment, treatment and intervention. In SJ Blumenthal & DJ Kupfer (Eds) Suicide over the life cycle: Risk factors, assessment, and treatment of suicidal patients. (pp. 303-340). Washington DC : American Psychiatric Press, 1990.

A few More Resources

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