Bipolar Suicide Help

Individuals with bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in mood, thinking and behavior. Consequently, their ability to function and engage in daily activities may also change drastically. Bipolar disorder is not a short-term illness and requires medication and therapy for the long-term. Due to the impact of this disorder, suicide is a critical concern that emphasizes the urgency of early diagnosis and treatment. It is helpful to understand strategies to use in the prevention of suicide.

Understanding the Disorder

• First, it is important to develop an understanding of bipolar disorder in order to recognize and understand it. As a brain disorder, it is characterized by intense changes in mood, leading to a state of mania, depression or mixed-mood. Symptoms change as mood shifts occur, with such shifts in moods known as episodes.

  Information from the Mayo Clinic suggested that these episodes can last of period of weeks or months, creating challenges and disturbances in the lives of the individual as well as family and friends. Symptoms can range on a continuum from severe mania to moderate to a normal state to moderate to severe depression.

Characteristics of Suicide and Bipolar Disorder

• In a recent article on Medscape, information suggested that in the US, on the average, one suicide attempt is successful for every 30 attempts while one suicide is successful for every 3 attempts for those who are bipolar. Additionally, the risk for suicide for bipolar individuals is further elevated due to the fact that they tend to use more lethal methods for their attempts. Furthermore, those who are in a mixed-mood state have been found to be at greater risk for committing suicide.
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Suicide Assessment

• Assessing suicide risk for those who are bipolar is a critical task that needs to be continuously repeated. There are a number of assessment strategies that can be used including existing surveys and questionnaires as well as face-to-face interviews,

  A face-to-face interview is always the most preferential as it allows the opportunity to assess both responses as well as the individual's reactions and behaviors during the interview. For those who are not use to completing a suicide assessment, it is is always important to remember that asking and talking about a person's suicidal thinking is the first step in preventing a potential lethal situation from occurring.

Assessing Suicide Ideation

• Assessing suicide ideation involves a multiple step process in which the interviewer asks specific questions regarding suicidal thinking. Areas for assessment include questions about the content of suicidal thoughts, with a focus on frequency, duration, sense of hopelessness and factors increasing or decreasing thoughts. It also includes determining if the individual has a plan for suicide such as when, where and how as well as determining if the chosen weapon has already been obtained (e.g., possession of medication, gun)

Getting Help

• Whenever an individual says they are thinking about suicide, always take them seriously. Suicide.Org provides extensive information on accessing help within the community. Help can be quickly accessed by calling 911, 1-800-SUICIDE, or 1-800-273-TALK. For those individuals that are bipolar and are demonstrating suicidal thinking or behavior, its critical that help is obtained immediately due to the associated risks and potential for lethality.