Chapter 9, Lesson 2

Guided Reading Activity 32

1. Define the term alienation.

• Alienation is feeling isolated and separated from everyone else.

2. Define the term suicide.

• Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life.

3. What are the risk factors of suicide?• Depression or suffering from

another mental disorder.• The abuse of alcohol or drugs.• A history of physical or sexual

abuse.• A history of previous suicide

attempts• A family history of emotional

disorders or suicides.

4. List four recognizable verbal warning signs of someone’s intent to commit suicide.

• Direct statements

• Indirect statements

• Writing poems, song lyrics or diary entries that deal with death.

• Suicide threats or insinuations that are both direct and indirect.

5. List four recognizable nonverbal or behavioral warning signs of someone's intent to commit suicide.

• A unusual obsession with death.• Withdrawal from friends.• Dramatic changes in personality, hygiene or appearance.• Impulsive, irrational or bizarre behavior.• An over whelming sense of guilty, shame, rejection.• Significant deterioration in schoolwork or recreational

performance.• Preoccupation with giving away personal belongings• Substance abuse• Violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away• Intolerance for praise or rewards.

6. What is the leading cause of suicide?

• Untreated depression

7. Why is it important to show concern and empathy for someone

who is talking about suicide?

• Suicidal people often believe that their death will not matter to anyone, so it is important to show concern and empathy.

8. What are three ways you can show a suicidal person that you

care?

• Initiate a meaningful conversation

• Show support and ask questions.

• Try to persuade the person to seek help.

9. What are cluster suicides?

• A series of suicides occurring within a short period of time and involving several people in the same school or community.

10. Describe two scenarios that sometimes results in cluster

suicides.

• Some are a result of pacts or agreements between two or more people to take part in suicide.

• Others occur when individuals commit suicide in response to the suicide of a friend or a suicide that has been sensationalized in the media.

11. List two recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control for

preventing cluster suicides.

• Relatives and close friends of suicide victims should be evaluated and counseled because these people may be at high risk for suicide.

• Media should report on suicide in a way that does not glorify the victim, oversimplify the victim’s motivation or portray the suicide as an understandable response to pressure or emotional pain.