During a therapeutic intervention, patients need to be reminded that once the thoughts of hopelessness are alleviated, the need to commit suicide will go away. Dr. Yudofsky says it is important for the clinician to be straightforward. Asking the person if they are considering suicide is not going to put that idea into their head. It has to be asked. Dr. Yudofsky thinks about the holiday period which has just ended.
Holidays can be very hard for the depressed person.
They're hard on psychiatrists, too, because we are treating those patients. Dr Guynn points out that there are certain demographics that make a severely depressed person more likely to attempt suicide. Especially as they grow older. They use methods which are very lethal - firearms or jumping from a high place. While women are three times more likely to attempt suicide as men, men are twice as likely as women to actually kill themselves.