Behavioral Science

68 Deja Review: Behavioral Science
What are protective factors from
suicide?
• Marriage: Single persons that are
divorced, have never married, or
widowed have higher suicide rates
than married persons. Living alone
and limited social and family support
are also risk factors.
• Employment: Persons who are
unemployed have higher suicide
rates. However, among employed US
citizens, those working in professional
roles (doctors, lawyers, and in law
enforcement) have higher suicide
rates than nonprofessional persons.
• No family history of a completed
suicide or an attempted suicide is
protective because once suicide
occurs, it seemingly decreases the
social “taboo” of suicide in the family.
CLINICAL VIGNETTES
A patient in your outpatient clinic presents with suicidal ideation, but no current
intent to harm himself. You would like to decrease the probability of him
committing suicide and so prescribe him a high-dose SSRI. Will this eliminate his
suicide risk?
Though aggressive treatment is indicated and untreated depression carries a high
risk of suicide, treatment with SSRI alone will not necessarily eliminate risk of
suicide. Screening for associated risk factors such as access to firearms and other
lethal means is also indicated.