Myths and Facts about Suicide
Directions: Please read the following statements about suicide. Circle T if you
believe the statement is true and F if you believe the statement is false.
T
F
1. No one can stop a suicide; it is inevitable.
T
F
2. Confronting a person about suicide will only make them angry and
increase the risk of suicide.
T
F
3. Only experts can prevent suicide.
T
F
4. Suicidal people keep their plans to themselves.
T
F
5. Adolescents who talk about suicide do not attempt or die by
suicide.
T
F
6. Parents are often unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior.
T
F
7. Most adolescents who attempt suicide fully intend to die.
T
F
8. Once a person decides to die by suicide, there’s nothing anyone can
do to stop them.
T
F
9. There is a significant difference between male and female
adolescents regarding suicidal behavior.
T
F
10. Talking about suicide in the classroom will promote suicidal ideas
and suicidal behavior.
Myths and Facts about Suicide: Answers
Myths about suicide are pervasive in our society. They also present a large barrier
to learning and to effective suicide prevention.
1. Myth: No one can stop a suicide. It is inevitable.
Fact: If people in a crisis get the help they need, they will possibly never be
suicidal again.
2. Myth: Confronting a person about suicide will only make them angry and
increase the risk of suicide.
Fact: Asking someone directly about suicidal intent lowers anxiety, opens up
communication and lowers the risk of an impulsive act.
3. Myth: Only experts can prevent suicide.
Fact: Suicide prevention is everybody’s business, and anyone can help prevent
the tragedy of suicide. Most people who are contemplating suicide are not
presently seeing a mental health professional. Most are likely to approach a
family member or peer for help. Listening, taking a person seriously, displaying
concern and care, and ensuring the person gets the help they need can help save
lives.
4. Myth: Suicidal people keep their plans to themselves.
Fact: Most suicidal people communicate their intent sometime during the week
preceding their attempt.
5. Myth: Adolescents who talk about suicide do not attempt or die by suicide.
Fact: One of the most ominous warning signs of adolescent suicide is talking
repeatedly about one’s own death. Adolescents who make threats of suicide
should be taken seriously and provided the help that they need. In this manner,
suicide attempts can be averted and lives can be saved.
6. Fact: Parents are often unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior.
Studies have shown that as many as 86% of parents were unaware of their child’s
suicidal behavior.
7. Myth: Most adolescents who attempt suicide fully intend to die.
Fact: Most suicidal adolescents do not want suicide to happen. Rather, they are
torn between wanting to end their psychological pain through death and wanting
to continue living, though only in a more hopeful environment.
8. Myth: Once a person decides to die by suicide, there is nothing anyone can do to
stop them.
Fact: Suicide is the most preventable kind of death, and almost any positive
action may save a life. One of the most important things an individual can do to
prevent suicide is to identify the warning signs of suicide and recognize a person
at increased risk for suicide.
9. Fact: There is a significant difference between males and females regarding
suicidal behaviors.
In adolescents, females are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than adolescent males to
report experiencing suicidal ideation and 3 to 4 times more likely to attempt
suicide. Adolescent males are 4 to 5.5 times more likely to die by suicide.
10. Myth: Talking about suicide in the classroom will promote suicidal ideas and
suicidal behavior.
Fact: Talking about suicide in the classroom provides adolescents with an avenue
to talk about their feelings, enabling them to be more comfortable with expressing
suicidal thoughts and increasing their chances of seeking help from a friend or
school staff member.
A similar concern (and myth) is that educating teens about suicide leads to
increased suicide attempts, since it provides them with ideas and methods about
killing themselves. Fact: When issues about suicide are taught in a sensitive,
educational context they do not lead to, or cause, further suicidal behaviors.
Research shows that following these educational programs, students demonstrate
significant gains in knowledge about the warning signs of suicide and about
contacting a hotline or crisis center, and show an increased likelihood to refer
other students at risk to school counselors and mental health professionals.
Sources: QPR Institute, Oregon Center for Health Statistics, and Youth Suicide Prevention SchoolBased Guide, http://theguide.fmhi.usf.edu/pdf/True-false.pdf.