6200wk11 discussion
Jaelyn Moore
MondayMay 8 at 7:11pm
· After learning about Stephanie, imagine that you had been the school social worker at the time of her suicidal ideation. Which indicators would you have looked for in Stephanie and why?
· How would you have responded to each of those indicators? What kinds of questions would you have asked her and why?
When dealing with Stephanie, I would look for signs of depression, untreated mental health, stress from family issues about her mother's hoarding, and past hospitalization. Knowing the warning symptoms of self-harm or suicide is critical, especially for children and adolescents. According to the article, “Suicide in Adolescents”, the American Association of Suicidology defined warning indicators in a consensus statement that may be readily recalled by the mnemonic, “IS PATH WARM,” as follows: Increased Substance use; no sense of Purpose in life; Anxiety, agitation or sleep disturbance; feeling Trapped; Hopelessness; Withdrawal from family, friends, society; uncontrolled Anger or rage, revenge-seeking; Reckless or risky activities, seemingly without thinking; dramatic Mood changes (Udoetuk, Idicula, Jabbar, & Shah, 2019). Assessment of warning indicators may allow clinicians to diagnose and manage susceptibility factors in people who are at a higher risk of self-harm or suicide. To address these indicators, I feel it would be important to first attempt to build rapport with Stephanie to see if she would be willing to talk about her family issues. Once rapport is established, I complete an assessment to understand Stephanie and her thoughts and feelings. For continued services to assist Stephanie with the indicators described, I feel it would be important to provide or locate individual and family counseling for Stephanie and her mother and complete a psychiatric and psychological referral to address her mental health. When dealing with Stephanie, I believe that open-ended questions are necessary. Open-ended questions will allow Stephanie to elaborate and offer any missing information. I believe these questions are based on her thoughts and feelings about her home life and her relationship with her mother or any other immediate family member; who her support system is, if she has one; whether she has feelings of self-harm; if so, does she have a plan; and what makes her happy or sad.
Reference:
Udoetuk, S., Idicula, S., Jabbar, Q., & Shah, A. A. (2019). Suicide in adolescentsLinks to an external site.Links to an external site. . Psychiatric Annals, 49(6), 269–272. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20190509-01Links to an external site.
RESPONE2
YesterdayMay 10 at 8:59pm
After learning about Stephanie, imagine that you had been the school social worker at the time of her suicidal ideation. Which indicators would you have looked for in Stephanie and why?
Stephanie described attempting suicide as an adolescent, prior to her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. While experiencing a mental illness can be an indicator of possible higher risk of suicide, many adolescents do not yet have a diagnosis and therefore may be overlooked for concerns regarding suicide (Udoetuk et al., 2019). A more effective method of monitoring these concerns would be utilizing the "IS PATH WARM" method (Udoetuk et al., 2019). This acronym covers important risk behaviors and cognitions, such as increased substance use and feeling of hopelessness or being without a purpose. For Stephanie, she likely exhibited concerns about withdrawal from friends and family, mood swings, and feeling like she had no purpose. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) also highlights concerns about withdrawal from peers and family and mood swings as concerning factors regarding suicidal ideation. Other concerns to keep an eye out for would include aggression, self harm, and giving away possessions or saying goodbyes to loved ones. These can all indicate possible suicidal ideation even without a mental health diagnosis for youth like Stephanie.
How would you have responded to each of those indicators? What kinds of questions would you have asked her and why?
Working with suicidal individuals is likely the most stressful part about providing social services (Singer et al., 2017). In response to Stephanie's indicators, I would utilize motivational interviewing to discuss what situations made her feel hopeless or depressed. She described a memory in which she felt like the night sky was a dark eye looking down, not caring about anyone. I would like to further understand this mentality, and understand what may have happened to make her feel uncared for. She also described her family's lackadaisical attitude after her hospitalization, which may indicate a less than supportive family prior to her suicide attempt as well. I would aim to understand the family dynamic and encourage communication between her and loved ones. Most importantly, I would ask pertinent questions such as if she had a plan and what this would entail (NAMI). This would help me understand the severity and intensity of her suicidal ideation. I would maintain a calm composure despite the concern about her wellbeing and ask if I can assist her with finding a psychiatrist or other levels of care as necessary (NAMI).
References
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.-a). Risk of suicide . https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Common-with-Mental-Illness/Risk-of-SuicideLinks to an external site.
Udoetuk, S., Idicula, S., Jabbar, Q., & Shah, A. A. (2019). Suicide in adolescents . Psychiatric Annals, 49(6), 269–272. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20190509-01Links to an external site.
Singer, J. B., O’Brien, K. H., & LeCloux, M. (2017). Three psychotherapies for suicidal adolescents: Overview of conceptual frameworks and intervention techniques . Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0453-5