Suicide facts and myths: A study of prevalence

• Published in: Death studies 1985-01, Vol.9 (3-4), p.267-281
• Main Authors: McIntosh, John L., Hubbard, Richard W., Santos, John F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beliefs; Suicide
• ISSN: 0748-1187; 1091-7683
• DOI: 10.1080/07481188508252523

Although statements regarding "myths" about suicide are common in the literature, few empirical investigations have been conducted to determine the extent to which such "myths" are believed. A 32-item questionnaire concerning demographic and clinical correlates of suicidality was administered to 271 college students. Past history of personal suicidal behavior and that of others known to the subjects were also determined. In general, performance was poor with an average score of 59.1 percent, or 18.9 items correctly answered. Subjects with the following characteristics performed best (though still at generally low levels): those with training in suicide prevention or crisis intervention, those with some educational experience about suicide, older students, those with higher college class standing and those enrolled in upper level college courses. In a second study, 49 home health care personnel and 32 individuals being trained to do outreach work with the elderly were given a 16-item subset of the 32-item questionnaire above. Performance was high (approximately 75 percent correctly answered). Nearly all of these items were clinical in nature and were comprised primarily of the "myths" traditionally discussed in the suicide literature. While performance on factual/demographic information was poor in the first study, both investigations found performance on clinical, traditional "myths" about suicide to be high. The implications of these findings for training and education are discussed.