Running head: BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
Better Safe Than Sorry
Robyn M. Campbell
Liberty University
Abstract
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
When addressing suicide, it is important to address all its’ factors; including high and low-
lethality typology of behaviors, methods and signs. According to Hoff (year), all people will fit
into one of four broad categories when identifying self-destructiveness: those who commit
suicide, those who threaten suicide, those who make suicide attempts and those who are
chronically self-destructive (p. 310). Clinicians need to be aware of proper assessment strategies
for each of these groups and be aware of early signs of suicide. Assessing suicide requires
effective clinical judgement and awareness. It is helpful to utilize the Lethality Assessment Tool
to identify indicators of suicidal ideation, which will range from no predictable risk to a very
high risk. Regardless of the range of risk, clinicians need to understand that every risk matters.
It is important to regard a minimal risk suicide attempt as a high-risk suicide attempt due to the
potential to save someone’s life and being safe, and not sorry.
Better Safe than Sorry
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
Clinicians have a responsibility to respond to each lethality type of suicide. Those who
are at a high-risk of suicide, oftentimes, have been at a low-risk at one point in time and often
participate in harmful deeds or “gestures”. The term suicide gesture has been used inconsistently
and in many ways, some of which may negatively impact the quality of care provided to patients
(Heilbron, 2010). This is due to clinicians and others not holding these “gestures” to the
seriousness level of suicidal intent. When conducting research, it is difficult to find examples of
suicidal gestures. We can assume that one cutting oneself or standing on the edge of an overpass
would be common examples. If a clinician misunderstands a suicidal gesture, then it is probable
that there will be a misdiagnosis; which has the potential to dismiss the patients’ problems. The
reason that these gestures should be taken seriously (despite severity) is because we never truly
know someone’s intent. However, distinguishing between immediate and long-range risk for
suicide is not only a potential life-saving measure, it is also important for preventing or
interrupting a vicious cycle of repeated self-injury (Hoff, 2009, p. 327). Using our
professionalism and better judgement, we need to comprehend that there is no such thing as a
mere gesture.
Discussion
There was a young lady who had been suffering from undiagnosed depression for over
thirteen years. She was eleven years old when the symptoms began. She was suffering from the
loss of her grandmother, a coarse relationship with her father and a feeling of displacement due
to being adopted. Her mother was suffering from various physical traumas over an eight-year
period, of which she was there to experience. The young lady was bullied in school and
constantly felt alone. These are only a few factors that contributed to her condition. She
exhibited withdrawn and reckless behaviors throughout her teenage years. She began stealing
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
and being untruthful. Rather than her mom recognizing these as early signs of distress, she
categorized her as a “troubled teen” and concluded that she would grow out of it. Her pain was
never addressed by her family. While the young lady was in college, she became pregnant and
made the choice to abort the child. She was seven weeks pregnant at the time. The young lady
had the abortion alone in her dorm room. No one knew. She stopped living that day, but
remained alive. After a couple of years went by, she suffered to the point to where she no
longer wanted to live. She had no intent of hurting anyone. She just wanted to go to sleep and
never wake up. She went to the hospital, barely breathing, and they admitted her to a mental
health facility where she was kept for three days. In summary, the young lady was involuntarily
committed. This, unfortunately, did not help the young lady. It only strained her even more.
She was taken over 80 miles away from her home to this facility where no one came to visit her.
She was embarrassed and felt more alone than ever. She understood the law, however, she
wishes that she would have never asked for help due to the trauma that followed.
Suicide takes third place in the leading causes of death among adolescents (Goldston,
2009). The major reason for this, especially in wealthy societies, is due to teenagers carrying a
heavy burden that they will not meet the expectations set by society and even their families.
Teens in America and other industrial societies today feel intense pressure to avoid failure in a
social milieu that is very achievement oriented, while facing employment uncertainties affected
by global economic shifts and turmoil (Hoff, 2009, p. 333). In our society, being successful is
what matters. Our society has taught that becoming a doctor, lawyer or any other established
position is considered significant, while anything else makes no difference. This is the culture
that tends to instill in our youth and create a dangerous plethora of teens who feel as though they
will make no difference in this world; be that due to surroundings, support or self-esteem. Any
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
youth that feels irrelevant has the potential to harm themselves. Clinicians must recognize that
cultural pessimism, financial uncertainties and a widening gap between rich and poor combine
with individual stressors, family, and other social factors create a climate from which many teens
today will want to escape (Hoff, 2009, p. 334).
Conclusion
Awareness of suicidal factors can potentially save someone’s life, regardless of how
minuscule or immense the signs are considered. One who exhibits low-lethality signs of suicide
needs to be regarded with as much importance as one who exhibits high-risk. No suicidal
gesture is just a gesture; they are cries for help. When a patient feels unnoticed or dismissed,
there is a great possibility they feel that their cry for help was not heard. This can be very
dangerous. This creates for the possibility for what we consider a low-lethality risk to increase to
a high-risk case very quickly. Although the young lady in the discussion was not satisfied with
the help she received from the hospital, she still lives today. Her experience in the facility did
her more good than she gives it credit for. After all, she now understands that it is better to be
safe than sorry.
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
References
Goldston, D. B., Molock, S. D., Whitbeck, L. B., Murakami, J. L., Zayas, L. H., &
Nagayama Hall, G. C. (2009). Cultural Considerations in Adolescent Suicide
Prevention and Psychosocial Treatment. American Psychological Association, 63(1),
14-31. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.63.1.14
Heilbron, N., Compton, J. S., Daniel, S. S., & Goldston, D. B. (2010). The problematic label of
suicide gesture: Alternatives for clinical research and practice. Professional Psychology:
Research and Practice,41(3), 221-227. doi:10.1037/a0018712
Hoff, L. A., Hallisey, B. J., & Hoff, M. (2009). People in crisis: clinical and diversity
perspectives (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
