Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk
January 31, 2014
A study exploring the relationship between stigma (discomfort dealing with someone expressing suicidal thoughts) and suicide warning signs by comparing reactions to hypothetical incidents found that, although participants recognized the signs of imminent suicide risk as easily as they recognized the signs of imminent heart attack risk, they were significantly (1) less comfortable in responding to suicide risk, (2) less sure about how to respond to suicide risk, and (3) less hopeful that their response to suicide risk would be helpful compared to heart attack risk.
The research revealed that people “were significantly less likely to access emergency services for a seriously suicidal individual in comparison to someone suffering a heart attack, instead choosing to talk with family and friends first.” Of note is the finding that people with a personal or family history of suicidal behavior were no more likely to respond appropriately to suicide risk than people with no personal or family history of suicidal behavior.
The authors suggest that this research demonstrates that it is important to train individuals to recognize imminent suicide risk, as well as to respond to that risk by calling 911 or taking the person at risk to an emergency room.
Rudd, M. D., Goulding, J. M., & Carlisle, C. J. (2013). Stigma and suicide warning signs. Archives of Suicide Research 17(3), 313-318.