attempted suicide。
2。 To discuss what the criteria are for considering an act suicidal。
3。 To review many of the facts and monly held misconceptions about suicide so that students are
better able to detect and react to crises involving suicide。
OVERVIEW
The age group that has recently shown the sharpest increase in attempted suicide is 18… and 24…years…old
college…aged people。 Suicide now ranks second in leading causes of death for this age group； right behind
automobile accidents。 Because of the high incidence of suicide among college students； this section typically
elicits great interest from many of the students； and sometimes powerful emotions （see Pitfalls to Avoid）。 In
this section； we will：
1。 Begin by going around the room and sharing any close brushes students have had with suicide；
either personally or with another person who was experiencing difficulties。
2。 Discuss definitions students have for suicide and the discrepancies between these definitions and
some of the other factors that can plicate judgments of suicide。
3。 Take the Suicide Quiz （provided at the end of this section）。
4。 Read the 10 items and take a “hand count” of how many students believe each item is true or false。
5。 Discuss statistics on suicide rates； including differences according to gender； age； race；
socioeconomic status； and other variables。 At a minimum； this discussion will include the 10 items
that prise the Suicide Quiz。
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Throughout the ages； people have held very different views of suicide。 The early Greeks often considered
suicide to be a natural solution to unhappy situations。 The Romans took a conditional position； suicide
induced by pain； sickness or grief was exempt from punishment； whereas suicide “without cause” was
unpardonable； especially when interests of the state were involved。 The advent of Christianity signaled a
departure from past laws concerning suicide。 In the fourth century； St。 Augustine placed suicide in a moral
framework and condemned it as a grievous sin。 Consequently； suicide became rare in the Middle Ages。
The Renaissance brought a reconsideration of suicide as a solution to life’s hardships。 Indeed；
Shakespeare’s eight tragedies contain fourteen suicides！ Gradually suicide became a topic of debate； and in
1777 the philosopher David Hume stated that suicide does not do society any harm—the individual merely
ceases to do good。 Still； it took until 1961 for England to repeal its law making attempted suicide a crime；
and until June 1972 for Canada。 The United States inherited its law from England； and to this day it is
illegal to attempt suicide in seven states； while in eighteen states； aiding and abetting suicide is a crime。
PROCEDURE
Materials
The Suicide Quiz。
Optional： Calculator for puting percentage of students who get each item correct。
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Subjects
Any number； but optimal with 10—25 students。
Time Required for Research
10—20 minutes for initial discussion and 5—10 minutes for first administration of the quiz。
Time Required for Discussion
10—20 minutes for a discussion of quiz material； 5—10 minutes for second administration of the Suicide
Quiz； and 5 minutes for a wrap…up to the section。
Method
1。 This section begins with students sharing and experiences they have had with suicide； personally
or with another person who was having trouble。 We strongly remend excusing any students
who feel that the topic of suicide is too emotional for them to discuss。 Few students will leave； but it
is important that they have that option available。
2。 Discuss differing definitions students have for suicide。 What are the discrepancies between these
definitions？ It should bee apparent that suicide is more than intentionally taking one’s life。
Nero； for example； ordered an attendant to kill him。 Seneca was ordered by Nero to kill himself。 A
more modern example of Seneca’s plight is found in the Jonestown massacre which hundreds of
Jim Jones’ devotees were instructed to take their own lives。 Seppuku； or hara…kiri； was practically
obligatory for Japanese nobility and samurai when their failure caused loss or defeat for their
emperor or lord。 Are these all cases of suicide？ What about borderline cases of self…destruction；
such as neglecting medical advice or excessive risk…taking （e。g。； driving at high speeds；
volunteering for dangerous military missions； or excessive overeating）？ Even more plicated
than the definition of a mitted suicide is the definition of an attempted suicide。
3。 Students should take the Suicide Quiz。
4。 Next； the instructor should read through the 10 items and take a “hand count” of how many
students believe each item is true or false。 In actuality； all of the items are false and constitute
mon myths about suicide。
5。 Next； the instructor should review statistics on suicide rates； including differences according to
gender； age； race； socioeconomic status； and other variables。 Minimally； this discussion must
include the 10 items that pose the Suicide Quiz。 For example； the instructor might challenge the
class to explain why men are more likely to mit suicide than women （Question 2）； even though
women attempt suicide two or three times more often than men （Question 1）。 The answer lies in the
choice of method （Question 3）； men choose guns whereas women choose pills。 Alternatively； the
instructor might spend time countering the myth that people who periodically mention suicide are
not likely to mit it （Question 10）。 This could prove to be a transition for discussion of what to do
if a friend or family member has been talking about suicide。
6。 Students should take the Suicide Quiz once more； this time read aloud by the instructor with a
show of hands whether each item is true or false。 It should then bee apparent that all of the
items were myths； and the class has learned much about suicide since the beginning of the section。
PITFALLS TO AVOID
1。 Suicide is an intensely emotional subject； the greatest pitfall any discussion leader will face is
underestimating the impact this topic may have on certain students。 It may be appropriate to give
students advance warning of the topic and the option to excuse themselves。
2。 In order for the opening discussion to work well； a supportive tone must be set so that students feel
fortable sharing personal accounts。 The instructor may also want to make clear that this
information should not be shared with friends outside of the discussion group。
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3。 The instructor might mention this topic the week before and invite students who want to discuss
any personal experiences regarding suicide among family or friends to meet with him or her。
4。 It is important that there is no munication while students take the Suicide Quiz。
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
If there is substantial disagreement over the correct answers during the initial administration of the Suicide
Quiz； it may prove interesting to tabulate the percentage of students for each item who believe the correct
answer is true versus the percentage who believe the item is false。
DISCUSSION； EXTENSIONS； AND EXPERIMENTAL VARIATIONS
1。 We strongly remend acpanying the discussion with specific suggestions on how students
should respond to friends or family members at high risk of suicide。 If the instructor does not feel
qualified to lead such a discussion； it might be possible to bring in an outside “expert。”
2。 Of all the discussion sections； the one on suicide involved the least amount of direct research…for
good reasons。 What are some of the problems that face suicide researchers？ （Hint for students： The
annual American suicide rate is 12 out of every 100；000 people。）
3。 If the campus or munity operates a crisis telephone line； the instructor might arrange a field trip
for interested students to visit the facility or have a worker as a guest for the class。
4。 For instructors with some experience in counseling； one interesting variation is to have students
role…play callers who are contacting a suicide crisis line。 Either the instructor or a student could
role…play the telephone counselor； and the class could discuss what and what not to say to a person
who is having a crisis。 This technique works especially well if； after particularly interesting
episodes； the role…played action is “frozen” for detailed discussion。
5。 Discuss “copy…cat” suicides； the contagious effect of media on facilitating suicides。
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Alverez； A。 （1971）。 The savage God。 New York： Random House。
Barrington； M。 R。； & Hendin； H。 （1984）。 Can suicide be rational？ In J。 Rubinstein & B。 D。 Slife （Eds。）； Taking
sides： Clashing views on controversial social issues。 （3rd ed。）。 Guilford； CT Dushkin Publishing Group。
Phillips； D。 P。 （1986）。 Natural experiments on the effects of mass media violence on fatal aggression： Strengths and
weaknesses of a new approach。 In L。 Berkowitz （Ed。）； Advances in experimental social psychology （Vol。 19； pp。
207…250）。 Orlando； FL： Academic Press
Schneidman； E。 （1985）。 Definition of suicide； New York： Wiley
Schneidman； E。 （1987； March）。 At the point of no return。 Psychology Today pp。 54…58
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HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOWABOUT SUICIDE？
Circle the letter that indicates whether the following statements are true or false。
T F 1。 Men attempt suicide more often than women。
T F 2。 Women mit suicide more often than men。
T F 3。 Poisoning； by either pills or gas； is the most mon form of
suicide。
T F 4。 Minorities mit suicide more often than whites。
T F 5。 The higher the socioeconomic level； the lower the suicide rate。
T F 6。 After about 60 years of age； the suicide rate begins to decline
continuously。
T F 7。 Suicide rates for college students reached an all…time peak in
the 1960s and have declined somewhat since then。
T F 8。 Suicide rates are lower for people who are terminally ill than
for people who have illnesses with no end in sight。
T F 9。 Those people who never mention suicide are more likely to
actually mit the act than individuals who occasionally
discuss it。
T F 10。