Various Myths That Are Related to Suicide and Crisis Intervention Procedures Essay

Introduction

Suicide basically refers to a situation where an individual takes his/her life willingly. This is the last stage after a long period of depression and the victim have not managed to get assistance in order to deal with the environmental stressors. A person contemplates suicide once his/ her mind has been stressed up to a point whereby it cannot bounce back. Suicide cases are very common in a society which is experiencing a social disorganization which touches all the other parts that makes up the complex whole. For instance after 9/11 attack in US many people committed suicide after losing their dear ones in the attack. In such an event people are faced with very catastrophic realities and they are disturbed thereby bringing in a psychological crisis in the society which needs to be dealt with before people start to contemplate suicide.

This essay looks at the various myths that are related to suicide from a critical point of view as well as crisis intervention procedures that needs to be followed when treating a disturbed person and specifically a battered wife. Events that took place on 9/11 attack and their aftermaths will also be discussed in relation to crisis intervention as well as those steps that can be taken in order to make schools safe from local gangs. These topics will be handled under various sub headings one at a time.

Discussion Myths about Suicide

As I had indicated earlier on suicide means the act of killing one self and this act is intentional. Suicide is attributed to various social factors and it is increasingly becoming a problem in the contemporary world. In order to understand and prevent suicide we have to understand a number of myths that are associated with suicide and it is important to note that these myths prevent us from dealing with an individual before he carries out a suicidal act. In addition myths are common misconceptions that are related to suicide. Once we know the actual truth about suicide then we can easily identify people who are at a risk of committing suicide and to provide necessary assistance that is needed.

To begin with many people believe that attempted or completed suicides occur without warning. This is a wrong conclusion because many survivors have stated that they had hidden intention that made them contemplate suicide. Moreover warning signs are always present and may include: previous suicidal attempts, shift in sleeping patterns, depression among others. Another myth states that if an individual suicidal attempt fails, the individual will never make a repetition of the same. This is not true because soon or later the person will carry out a successful suicide. People also believe that suicidal individuals do not communicate their thoughts to other people. These are some of the myths about suicide but there are many others.

When dealing with a family of a suicidal family one is supposed to explain all these myths to them in order to give them a broad knowledge on suicide. For instance, it is important to point out that a suicidal person always shares his thought with people who are very close to him. Therefore the family should be aware of the close friends of the person so that they can know what kind of topics they discuss during their outings. This idea should be emphasized until it sink’s into the mind of the family members since they are the one who will be in close contact with the suicidal person.

Treating Battered Woman

Woman battering is a very common form of domestic violence that affects a woman life greatly. Battered women often are very depressed since they cannot easily get out of an abusive marriage. This occurs mostly in a patriarchal society where men are very powerful. Some of the common stressors among battered women include: presence of their children when actual violence takes place, husband drinking behavior, as well as other people who may be the cause of the violence that takes place. A part from being depressed a battered woman is very emotional and has a very unusual sleeping pattern especially when the husband is away. The rave at their children and loose weight very first which can be closely related to their loss of appetite.

While dealing with such a woman it is always wise to sit down with her and let her talk out her experience. In a very quite place I would explain to her the fact that once she was battered there are very high chances of being battered again. Since this explanation may boil up the woman emotions I have to be fully prepared in order to calm her down easily as well as being very kin on non-verbal communication in order to use the most effective means to get the point across. Once the woman is aware of this fact she should then face the monster head on and decide on the next step she should take. The most appropriate action is to stay away from this kind of an environment.

Making the School a Safer Place

A school like any other institution is made up of different individuals who possess different attitudes and values. This diversity can be exploited by students in order to create disunity in school. Teachers and student therefore should be well equipped in order to deal with local gangs which are made up of very few students but they can easily disrupt a school program. Such students like walking in a group which does not join up with others easily especially during breaks in schools. The group is the last one to get back to a class after a short break and is the same group which performs poorly in the exams.

In order to prepare for such crisis the teachers and junior staff have to be well trained. The teachers and the subordinated staff can learn basic skills of handling violent students in a staff meeting. In such a meeting the main aim would be to highlight the common behaviors of the student who make up a local gung in order for the staff to keep an eye on them. This training can take place during a student break in order to make sure all the teachers are available. The students identified have to be taken through an anti violence and anti gang program running for a good number of months (Wendy, 1996). These two programs will enable the student to learn how to appreciate diversity, manage their anger as well as getting involved in mediation and conflict resolutions. These measures should also enhance self esteem among students.

9/11 Crisis

9/11 is one of the blackest days in US history because this is the day when terrorist managed to hit targets inside the US. Many people were traumatized by the events they witnessed on the television and the impact of this terrorist attack is being felt even today. Schmindt et al (2002) points out that ‘terrorist did more than destroy buildings: they scarred the American psyche.’ Therefore Americans have become more fearful and anxiety builds in them very fast raising serious psychological problems. Psychologists have now been compelled to carry out various researches that will aid in developing a good remedy for the general anxiety disorder that is killing many Americans. Over emphasis of fear related disorders is creating a room for neglecting other people who may have different psychological problem and this is not good for the health of the Americans.

Conclusion

In conclusion it is evident that suicide is carried out by people who intentionally want to terminate their life. Majority of us are not in a position to prevent our friends and neighbors from committing suicide because the myths we have over suicide blurs our thinking capacity and this make it difficult to realize that one of us is on the verge of committing suicide. Women experiencing abuse also fail to take action because of some myths which are grossly wrong. In order to make our schools safe places collaboration between the teaching staff, junior staff and the student is needed in order to facilitate the effectiveness of both the anti violence and anti gang programs in school. Finally the American psyche was torn in to parts by the 9/11 attack and psychologist have to deal will all sorts of psychological related problems in the country.

References

1. James, R. K. and Gililand, B. (2007): Crisis Intervention Strategies.6^th ed. Thomson Wadswoth publishers.
2. Roberts, A. R. and Roberts B. S. (2005): Ending Intimate Abuse: Practical Guidance and Survival strategies. London, Oxford University Press.
3. Schmidt, B and Winters J. (2002): Anxiety after 9/11. Psychology Magazine, 2002
4. Wendy, S. (1996): An overview of strategies to reduce school violence. Web.
5. Preventing Adolescence Suicide.