ABSTRACT
Some people respond to life crises by suicide or other self-destructive acts. Primary care providers are pivotal in helping patients find alternatives to such behavior. Suicide as a response to crisis is used by all classes and kinds of people with social, mental, emotional, and physical problems-possibly including our relatives and neighbors. In short, people of every age, sex, religion, race, sexual identity, and socioeconomic class commit suicide. Perhaps most important of all, in the ethic of most world religions, suicide is generally considered the most stigmatizing sort of death, while suicide prevention is a major public health goal (Wasserman, 2004). In this chapter, suicide and self-destructive behavior are discussed in the contexts of the Judeo-Christian value system and the development of social science, crisis theory, and public health (see Figure 3.1, the Crisis Paradigm, Box 3 and 4b, Chapter 3.)
Suicide is viewed as a major public health problem and leading cause of death in many countries. Suicide among adolescents and young adults continues as a serious problem. The highest rates of suicide in the United States are among older white males (Moscicki, 1999, p. 41). Adolescent suicides constitute about 20% of all suicides nationwide. Among black men, American Indian, and Alaska Natives, however, the highest rates occur between ages
• Incidence and Framework for Understanding Self-destructive Behavior
• Perspectives, Facts, and Feelings about Self-destructive Persons
• Ethical Issues Regarding Suicide
• Characteristics and Major Types of Self-destructive People
• Assessing Suicide Risk and Lethality Levels
• Comprehensive Service for Self-destructive Persons
• Survivors of Suicide
• References
20 and 29 (Moscicki, 1999, p. 41). This suggests racial minority groups’ continuing struggle with devastating social and individual circumstances.
