Which of these statements about suicide is accurate? a. The ...

[PhilipSeeMore]

Which of these statements about suicide is accurate?
 
  a. The majority of persons who attempt suicide have given overt or covert indications of their intentions to others.
  b. A background in health care has a protective effect, leading to a lower rate of suicide among physicians and nurses than in the general public.
  c. Most persons with previous suicide attempts survived because they did not truly intend to die; they are at lower risk than those making their first attempt.
  d. Use of a low-lethality means or likelihood of being discovered in time to prevent death are merely suicide gestures, not genuine attempts.

Question 2

A female client calls the clinic for advice after forgetting to take her morning dose of twice-daily lithium 5 hours ago. Which instructions should the nurse give the client?
 
  a. Take the dose immediately, and then take the second dose 3 hours late.
  b. Take half of a dose now, and then take the second dose at the normal time.
  c. Eliminate the dose missed, and take the second dose at the normal time.
  d. Immediately take the missed dose, and take the second dose at the normal time.

[wfdfwc23]

Answer to Question 1

A
Most persons who later attempt suicide have given some indication of being at risk, of having ideation or intent related to suicide. The suicide rate among physicians and nurses is higher than in the general population; their special knowledge of pharmacology and physiology can make attempts more likely to be lethal. Most people who complete suicide have made at least one previous attempt, and a history of prior attempts is one of the strongest predictors of future risk. Some attempts may appear unlikely to have succeeded from the outset, because the means was one of low lethality (e.g., choking oneself with socks wrapped around the neck) or because circumstances would have led to their being rescued before harm resulted (e.g., an attempt initiated in front of witnesses). Many tend to interpret such unlikely-to-succeed attempts as meaning that the person wasn't really serious about suicide, that it was a (so-called) suicide gesture. In fact, often a depressed or psychotic person simply is too cognitively impaired to plan well to succeed at suicide. Further, identifying a serious attempt as a gesture (not serious) can increase the risk of suicide if it is perceived as a challenge or if the person feels they or their attempt are being ridiculed or not taken seriously. The person may respond by intensifying efforts and may succeed in a subsequent attempt.

Answer to Question 2

C
Because lithium should be taken at the same time each day and the therapeutic range is narrow, 5 hours after the first dose was missed would be too close to take the second dose. The client should not to try to make up the first missed dose. Altering the schedule for one missed dose could cause more problems with future doses.

[PhilipSeeMore]

Thank you

[wfdfwc23]

Happy to help you