Psy270 Appendix E

Associate Level Material

Appendix E

Suicide

Respond to the following based on the information in the “Suicide Rates by Age Group” article:

1. What has been the trend in suicide rates over the past few years? The later initiation of the trend in declining rates among the youngest group and the slight increase in the rates among the oldest group somewhat attenuate the overall estimate of the rate of decline in this model

2. What part of the U.S. has the highest suicide rate? Rates varied by region in the United States, with the highest rates being in the West

3. List three risk factors for suicide. Previous diagnosis of major depression, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.

4. Many researchers worry that suicide rates for adolescents and older adults continue to increase. What does the research data show about these age groups? Rate ratios per year were virtually identical among the 2 groups (0.974; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.966, 0.981 for the youngest group; and 0.975; 95% CI = 0.972, 0.978 for the oldest group). This can be interpreted as an approximate 2.5% reduction in suicide rates on average for each year

5. In the U.S., what demographic has the highest rate of suicide? The highest rates of suicide in the United States occur among older white men

6. List four possible reasons for the observed decrease in suicide rates. A contributor is the increase in healthy life expectancy , Substance abuse, another risk factor for suicide, showed a rather marked decline, attributed improvements in medical support services and developments in trauma care, and the economy

7. Recent media reports have suggested that medications may provoke suicidal behavior, particularly in adolescents. As a precautionary step, the FDA issued a public health advisory warning doctors to watch patients closely for worsening depression when medication is first prescribed. What does the data show about the effects of medication and suicide?...