Is Path Warm Essay

Total Length: 692 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

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Introduction

IS PATH WARM is an acronym that is utilized as a mnemonic device created by the American Association of Suicidology. This mnemonic assist counselors and the general public to remember the warning signs for suicide. The acronym is outlined below:

I = Ideation

S = Substance Use

P = Purposelessness

A = Anxiety

T = Trapped

H = Hopelessness

W = Withdrawal

A = Anger

R = Recklessness

M = Mood Change

The acronym was developed in 2003 by a group of suicidologists as an evidence-based set of near-term signs of immediate suicide intent and risk. Juhnke, Granello, and Lebron-Striker (2007) posit that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death among Americans, there was a need to have a method for identifying the risk factors of suicide and methodologies that counselors could use to help reduce the rates of suicide. This acronym can also be used by other individuals to determine if an individual is at risk of suicide.

Acronym Definition

Ideation is mainly concerned with whether the client is having any suicidal thoughts. Any client who is verbalizing thoughts of suicide is offering a clearly identifiable sign for the counselor to investigate (Whiston, 2012).
Any suicidal thought should be investigated even when the client indicates the thoughts might be minor. This is because a majority of the people who are contemplating suicide want to end their pain they see suicide as the only viable option. Substance use might have various definitions, but the counselor should only be concerned with substance use if it is having negative effects on the client's life. Although substance abuse is not a strong predictor of suicide when compared to the other predictors, it does contribute to suicide attempts. Therefore, it should be something that counselors should monitor. Substance abuse can cloud an individual’s judgment and contribute to ideation of suicide.

Purposeless refers to the lack or losing purpose in life. When a client does not see any reason or purpose for continued living then the counselor should be overly concerned. A majority of people who commit suicide have lost purpose in life and they would rather commit suicide than continue living without any purpose. Anxiety should not be the only thing that the counselor looks out for. They should also be on the lookout for mental disorders….....

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