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| Twelve Must-Know Myths About Suicidal Clients |
| Columns - Professional Development | ||||||||
| Tuesday, 30 September 2003 | ||||||||
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Recently, I was invited to lecture on suicide prevention to a college class in adolescent psychology. The professor introduced me, listened intently to the first few moments of my lecture, and then made her exit. She did not return until the end of my speech. As I was collecting my handouts she said, “Say, Rosenthal, you did a pretty good job. I heard a few students talking in the hall and they seemed to like your lecture.” I thanked her, but was totally unprepared for what came next.“You did make one rather glaring error,” she said. “Glaring error? I’m afraid I don’t understand.” “Well, you made the statement that people who commit suicide generally talk about suicide. I remember hearing years ago that this is a myth.” “Actually,” I explained, “years ago we were taught to believe that people who are suicidal don’t talk about it, but today we know better. We know that a high percentage of individuals who attempt suicide did talk about it.” The professor looked perplexed, anxious, and was visibly upset. “Well, that couldn’t be true. But if it is, I need to take this seriously.” The good professor handed me a note that a student had slid under her office door while my lecture was in progress. The note stated that the student was depressed and contemplating suicide. I urged the professor — who had planned on not intervening due to her antiquated misinformation about suicide — to contact the student and everything turned out for the best. The bottom line: Mental health professionals (yes, even professors in our field), and more specifically addiction counselors, often harbor myths about suicidal individuals that could prove downright deadly.
Myth 1: Suicidal people don’t give warning
signs.
Myth 2: Suicide occurs around the
holidays.
Myth 3: Suicide occurs more frequently in
the dark, dreary days of winter.
Myth 4: Suicide is primarily a teenage
problem.
Myth 5: Most people leave a suicide note
that explains the nature of their act.
Myth 6: Clients who live in big cities are
under more stress and are more likely to kill themselves.
Myth 7: Media stories about suicide and the
economy do not affect the suicide rate.
Myth 8: The grief surrounding a suicide is
just like any other grief.
Myth 9: The suicide rate goes up in times of
war.
Myth 10: Never ask a person if he or she is
suicidal as you could put the idea in his or her head.
Myth 11: Once a person’s depression lifts,
the situation isn’t as dangerous.
Myth 12: Don’t bother giving the suicidal
individual the number of the local suicide prevention hotline if the client
insists he or she won’t call it. Suicide is the eighth leading killer of all people and generally checks in as the second or third top killer of teens. We talk a lot about the horrors of homicide in the United States and to be sure homicide is a horrendous problem. Nevertheless, suicide year in and year out causes more deaths than homicide. Moreover, nearly every study ever conducted conclusively shows that the suicide rate among individuals with addictions and substance abuse problems dwarfs that of the general population. I have provided this information as a crash course in emotional lifesaving because what you don’t know can hurt your clients. Dr. Howard Rosenthal is a frequent contributor and is the author of several books including his classic Not With My Life I Don’t, Preventing Your Suicide and That of Others. His Web site is www.howardrosenthal.com. This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, October 2003, v.4, n.5, pp. 22-23
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