Is My Client Suicidal?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03cdedc2ddualp.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U><B>FAQs</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Dr. Silverman"><U><B>About Dr. Silverman</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great links"><U><B>Great links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mind Reader© archive"><U><B>The Mind Reader© archive</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03d64643.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Is My Client Suicidal?</div> <bR> <div> During the course of your professional career you will interact with clinically depressed people. Some may have lost a child or spouse through medical malpractice, others are divorcing, still others may have had professional or business set-backs. You may have concerns that your client is at-risk for suicide. Here are some basic facts that are important for you to put this potential danger in perspective. The suicide rate in this country is 12.5 per hundred thousand or 1 in 8,000. The highest rate is among men over sixty-five, 1 in 2,500. Ninety-five percent (95%) of all people who commit suicide have a mental disorder, the vast majority are suffering from major depressive disorder. Women are three times as likely as men to attempt suicide, while men are three times as likely to be successful in their attempt. </div> <div> If you are representing the family of a suicide victim, it is important to note that there is no psychological test that is predictive of suicide. As one might expect, the best predictor of future suicide is past attempts. Hopelssness is also one of the major indicators of a potential suicide. Nearly two thirds of suicide victims communicate their attempt to others prior to the attempt. This is why information from friends and relatives is so important in formulating a treatment plan and deciding whether hospitalization is required. Approximately thirty percent (30%) of suicides occur either in the psychiatric hospital or in the twelve months post discharge. </div> <div> If your client expresses suicidal ideation, you must contact a professional immediately. All thoughts of suicide or attempts are to be taken seriously. You should do a follow-up with the professional to establish that your client has met his/her appointments.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>