Doctor tell me; Potential suicide patients

Doctor tell me who is the potential suicide patient. Because answering questions about your health is an important part of your doctor's services. The Minnesota State Medical Association presents doctor tell me here to ask the doctor your questions. Is Janice Hughes dead. Today your health questions will be answered by Dr. George Williams a psychiatrist from St. Paul. Dr. Williams How can suicidal risk be assessed. This can sometimes be a very difficult assessment to make generous but generally we take the following factors into account first. How severely depressed is the individual. Secondly how motivated is he to do away with himself. Thirdly do we see signs. Such as loss of weight inability to eat and the severe sleep disturbance which is characterized by early morning wakening of the

very seriously depressed individual. Is the suicide rate greater among men or women. It's greater among men Janice men have a suicide rate roughly three times that of women. It's true though that women attempt it more isn't it. This has been shown by several studies that women attempted more. But we don't know exactly what this means for the suicide attempt can be a cry for help. Then they may hope the women that they will be found before it's too late. I suspect this is possibly true. Is the rate higher among any racial group. Yes the rate is higher among the Caucasian group than it is among other groups. At what ages the suicide rates the greatest in the person 45 years and older the rate is said to be greatest

however. One of the distressing things about suicide is that it is consistently been the fourth or fifth leading cause of death among the teenage population in the college age population. Again we see and really an increased rate for that age group. Can the biz can the physician tell anything about the patient by the method used to commit suicide. Very frequently This gives us some indication of the patient's feelings where the patient has been hopefully unsuccessful whether he has attempted very violent means by use of firearms jumping from high buildings this kind of thing these are usually bonafide attempts to do away with one's life. How about marital status and divorce. Things like this how

does this enter in. Well now the married person has a lower suicidal rate than a divorced widowed or the separated person. And again. I think that this points to one of the factors in suicide namely the tremendous loneliness that most of these people suffer from and loneliness can be a very very difficult load for anyone to carry. Is there any relationship between suicide and alcohol. Yes there is a close relationship between suicide and alcohol and it's hypothesized that this occurs because alcohol. Causes the individual to lose some of his normal controls and therefore he would do under the influence of alcohol at which you wouldn't do normally. Thank you very much Dr. Williams. The Minnesota State Medical Association has presented Dr. tell me recorded in the

studios of KUNM at the University of Minnesota. Janice who is dead has asked the doctor your questions if you have any additional questions. Write to Dr. tell me. Minnesota State Medical Association Three seventy five Jackson St.. St. Paul Minnesota 5 5 1 0 0 1. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.