CHAPTER 4: WHEN CRISIS LEADS TO DANGER TO SELF, OTHERS,
OR PSYCHOTIC DECOMPENSATION
Multiple Choice
1. Who is considered one of the founding fathers of modern suicidology?
A. Dr. Sigmund Freud
B. Dr. Norman Farberow
C. Dr. Gerald Caplan
D. Dr. Eric Lindemann
2. Typical warning signs of suicide include all of the following EXCEPT:
A. giving things away.
B. putting things in order.
C. vegetative depression.
D. increased drug use.
3. A client who says “I’m going to kill myself and you can’t stop me” is probably:
A. high risk.
B. middle risk.
C. low risk.
D. none of the above.
4. A good strategy for a middle risk client regarding suicide is:
A. support comments.
B. no suicide contract.
C. family suicide watch.
D. all of the above.
5. The most common methods of self-mutilative behaviors include all of the following
EXCEPT:
A. cutting.
B. carving.
C. hanging.
D. biting oneself.
6. Clients who a danger to others may:
A. be delusional.
B. have impulse control problems.
C. feel controlled by outside forces.
D. all of the above.
7. A psychotic decompensation can best be described as:
A. a state of increased energy.
B. a state of active delusions and hallucinations.
C. a state of increased independence.
D. none of the above.
8. Which of the following is NOT a category of the Mental Status Exam?
A. Appearance
B. Perception
C. Behavior
D. None of the above
True/False
1. Farberow’s work with suicide began with World War II veterans.
2. The World Health Organization estimated that about one million individuals complete a
suicidal act each year in the world.
3. Suicide is always impulsive.
4. Suicide is always an insane act.
5. The suicidal client will feel relieved to openly discuss his feelings.
6. A crisis worker may include family members in a suicide watch.
7. Hospitalizing a high risk client is avoided at all costs.
8. Suicidal people never leave hints that they are thinking of suicide.
Short Answer/Essay
1. What are 10 questions a crisis worker should ask during a suicide assessment?
2. What are effective crisis intervention strategies for each of the following:
A. High-risk suicidal client
B. Middle-risk suicidal client
C. Low-risk suicidal client
3. What are five things a crisis worker should explore with a client who is suspected of
being homicidal?
4. How is the Mental Status Exam useful for a crisis worker?
5. What are the categories of the MSE?
6. How is self-mutilative behavior different than suicide?