When it comes to brain injuries and suicide, the risk factors include anxiety, depression, reduced psychological functioning, post traumatic stress disorder, and aggressive behavior and so on. There are some other risk factors as well, such as panic attacks, memory loss, problems with anger, impaired thinking, drug use, and substance abuse. Some patients with brain injuries tend to stay away from society and show impulsive behavior.
Brain health disorders are one of the most common factors that lead to suicides. Aside from these, some pre-injury issues, such as bipolar disease, seizure disorder, psychosis, personality disorder, past psychiatric illness or past suicidal attempts are some important factors.
Other problems associated with the suicide risk include the feeling of hopelessness, perception of loss, isolation problems, poor family relationships, feeling of loneliness, lack of initiative, feelings of fatigue and so on. According to research studies, a brain injury patient may tend to commit suicide if he is unable to get a job, have cognitive issues, have feelings of low self-esteem, or have feelings of sadness. These are some of the common factors leading a patient to commit suicide.
Males between the ages of 25 – 30, who have brain injuries, are most likely to attempt suicide.
Moreover, the percentage of suicides and suicide attempts is also high among soldiers in the army. The percentage has gone up irrespective of the programs formulated to prevent suicides, especially since the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. These continuous wars have caused brain injuries to scores of soldiers involved in these wars. As a result, the statistics of suicides and suicidal attempts are increasing day by day.
Now, what can you do to help your friend or family members to reduce the risk of suicide? What steps can be taken? Are there any effective preventive measures to control the suicidal attempts and suicides? Fortunately, there are many solutions to this. If you suspect that some of your friends or a family member is suffering from a brain injury, you should get in touch with the Mental Health Association and tell them your concerns.
Other problems that can result in high-risk situations include economic issues, inability to adapt to disability.
To minimize the risk of suicide attempts, you need to take a few steps. First off, you should be aware of non-verbal cues or behavior. Moreover, you should maintain constant contact with the patient and keep an eye on their whereabouts. You need to spur on the patient to communicate with others. Avoid having arguments with the patient. Let the friends of the patient know that they need to be careful while talking to the patient. You might counsel the patient and try to find out triggers that can create suicidal thoughts. Also, you need to recognize the mood of the patient and behave with them accordingly.
The bulk of brain injury patients do not tend to commit suicide. However, if a brain injury sufferer is at high risk, you need to take necessary steps without wasting time. These steps can ensure the safety of the patient.
Call Sacramento brain injury attorney Moseley Collins for legal help! (916) 444-4444