Lethal Means Restriction Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Lethal Means Restriction flashcards as text
When discussing means restriction with a veteran who is reluctant to give up his firearms, which approach aligns with best practice?
Answer: Use motivational interviewing to explore ambivalence and collaborate on temporary storage
Motivational interviewing techniques allow clinicians to explore a veteran's ambivalence respectfully while working toward a safety plan that addresses firearms.
Which statement about the relationship between firearm access and suicide risk is most accurate?
Answer: Firearm access increases suicide risk by approximately 3 times
Research consistently shows that access to a firearm in the home increases the risk of suicide death by approximately 2 to 3 times compared to homes without firearms.
Which of the following is an example of a 'structural' lethal means restriction approach?
Answer: A bridge railing designed to prevent jumping
Structural approaches modify the physical environment — such as installing barriers on bridges — without requiring individual behavioral change.
A patient reports that her husband keeps firearms and she is not ready to disclose her suicidal thoughts to him. What is the clinician's best next step regarding means safety?
Answer: Explore options for means safety that do not require disclosure to the husband, such as storage at a gun range
Clinicians can explore means safety options like third-party storage or gun range storage that don't require the patient to disclose her mental health situation to a partner.
The term 'lethal means' in suicidology refers specifically to what?
Answer: Methods or items with a high case fatality rate if used in a suicide attempt
Lethal means refers to methods with high case fatality ratios — the proportion of attempts using that method that result in death — such as firearms.
Dispensing medications in smaller quantities to at-risk patients is an example of means restriction applied to which category?
Answer: Pharmaceutical means restriction
Limiting medication supply (pill counts or refill frequency) reduces the stockpiling risk and is a pharmaceutical form of means restriction.
Which outcome measure is most relevant when evaluating a community-level lethal means restriction program?
Answer: Overall suicide rate in the community, not just firearm suicide rate
The ultimate measure of success is whether overall suicide rates decline, not just method-specific rates, to account for possible method substitution.