(4) Intervention. This term refers to treatment by health care personnel
when there is some question of the individual's ability to cope by using his own
resources. The person needs help. Crisis intervention is professional help when the
person shows signs of reaching a crisis point.
(5) Stress. This is a normal pattern of mental and physiological responses
to changing life circumstances. Even a favorable change--promotion or marriage--
causes some stress to the individual.
Stressors. The event or circumstance which causes stress is defined as
(6)
the stressor.
(7)
Suicide. Suicide is the act of taking one's own life voluntarily and
intentionally.
e. Causes of Suicide. No one knows positively why people choose to kill
themselves. An individual is usually so emotionally upset and overwhelmed that he
wants to stop the pain of living. A person who is suicidal feels overwhelmingly lonely
and isolated. He feels helpless, hopeless, and worthless. Such people often truly
believe that it does not matter whether they live or die; if they were dead, no one would
miss them. A suicidal individual feels that he cannot cope with his problems and that
suicide is the only way out. Possible causes include the following:
(1)
Ending of a close, personal relationship or difficulty with a relationship.
(2)
Death of a loved one; spouse, child, parent, brother or sister, friend, or
pet.
(3) Worry about job performance, fear of failure, or fear of doing less well
than expected.
(4)
Move to a new place causing loss of friends which made up a support
system.
(5)
Health problems, particularly those which interfere with job goals.
(6)
Disorientation and other complications of excessive use of drugs and/or
alcohol.
f. Myths and Facts About Suicides. There is a great deal of misinformation
about suicides. Here are some of the more common myths and the facts.
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