The purpose of the study was to highlight the extent of teenage suicide/parasuicide in selected areas in the West Rand. An exploratory descriptive survey was used to determine the extent of teenage suicide/parasuicide, identify existing programmes for the prevention of suicide, determine the involvement of the community health nurses in such programmes and make recommendations for the development of suicide prevention programmes in areas where they do not exist. Structured interview schedules were used to collect data. The study was undertaken in various clinics in Gauteng Province. The study results suggest that suicide/parasuicide is a common occurrence amongst teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24 years, suicide/parasuicide do not seem to be accurately recorded in most clinics, that community health nurses are not adequately involved in suicide prevention programmes and finally that available suicide prevention programmes are not fully utilised. Recommendations based on the findings are given. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

Suicidal behavior has to be considered as a multifactorial phenomenon, which can be analyzed in a classifying-phenomenological manner. We have examined the relation of parasuicide typology to whole blood concentrations of serotonin, HVA, and tryptophan in 58 patients classified into 4 groups of parasuicide typology compared to 22 nonsuicidal depressed patients and 20 healthy subjects. Suicidal patients classified as impetuous, desperate and ambivalent types had significantly reduced whole blood 5-HT levels in comparison with the appealing type as well as nonsuicidal subjects. No differences were detected in the HVA content, but whole blood tryptophan concentrations were significantly reduced in impetuous suicidal patients and depressed patients compared to healthy subjects. This study provides evidence for reduced whole blood serotonin content based on different types of parasuicide. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Thesis (D.Psyc.(Clin.))--University of Wollongong, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 70-81.

The purpose of the study was to highlight the extent of teenage suicide/parasuicide in selected areas in the West Rand. An exploratory descriptive survey was used to determine the extent of teenage suicide/parasuicide, identify existing programmes for the prevention of suicide, determine the involvement of the community health nurses in such programmes and make recommendations for the development of suicide prevention programmes in areas where they do not exist. Structured interview schedules were used to collect data. The study was undertaken in various clinics in Gauteng Province. The study results suggest that suicide/parasuicide is a common occurrence amongst teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24 years, suicide/parasuicide do not seem to be accurately recorded in most clinics, that community health nurses are not adequately involved in suicide prevention programmes and finally that available suicide prevention programmes are not fully utilised. Recommendations based on the findings are given. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

No description available.

This dissertation has multiple goals. First to analyze self-destructive behavior and its relations to ethics. Secondly to evaluate four different ethical perspectives regarding self-destructiveness from a certain position of human nature. The third goal is to construct a position that deals with self-destructive behavior in a way that is improved and well-managed compared to the four ethical perspectives analyzed earlier. The first goal is met by comparing and evaluating different theories concerning self-destructive behavior and discussing the ethical implications surrounding them. Self-destructive behavior is seen as a way of communicating, which puts a moral pressure on both the self-destructive person and the society around her. The four ethical perspectives represented by Robert Nozick and Thomas Szasz, two neoliberals, James B Nelson, a body theologian inspired by Paul Tillich, Gail Weiss, a body feminist and Mary Timothy Prokes, a catholic body theologian, are hence met by the problem of self-destruct, analyzed and critically evaluated. In the final chapter the author constructs an improved ethical perspective concerned with self-destructiveness, based on altruism, responsibility and broad-mindedness.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2002. / Bibliography : leaves 247-276.

Positive Clinical Psychology (PCP) argues that positive and negative psychological constructs are jointly important for explaining psychological problems. “Positive” constructs have been explicitly focused on by positive psychology researchers and “negative” constructs have been explicitly focused on by mental health researchers. This thesis examines the relationship between positive and negative constructs in relation to four psychological problems: depressive symptoms (Chapter 2), anxiety-problems (Chapter 3), suicide attempts (SAs) (Chapter 4 and 5), and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) (Chapter 4 and 5). Clarifying how psychological problems are most appropriately conceptualised has implications for definitions, diagnostic criteria, measurement, and clinical interventions. This thesis provides evidence that some constructs form bipolar continua, having a positive pole and a negative pole, whilst other constructs do not. Chapters 2 and 3 demonstrate that well-being and calmness respectively form continua with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, Chapters 4 and 5 demonstrate that SA and NSSI cognitions do not form a continuum with another construct. Results indicate that positive and negative constructs appear to have different relationships to one-another depending on the construct under investigation. Constructs that are common in the general population – such as depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, well-being symptoms, and calmness symptoms – appear to be bipolar, having a positive and a negative pole. Psychological constructs that are rare in the general population and which specifically characterise psychological problems (rather than being an extreme manifestation of a common psychological experience) – such as SA and NSSI cognitions – appear to be unipolar. The replication of scientific findings also features strongly throughout this thesis. Each chapter may therefore have a timely bearing on the emerging “replication crisis” literature.

Suicidal behavior has to be considered as a multifactorial phenomenon, which can be analyzed in a classifying-phenomenological manner. We have examined the relation of parasuicide typology to whole blood concentrations of serotonin, HVA, and tryptophan in 58 patients classified into 4 groups of parasuicide typology compared to 22 nonsuicidal depressed patients and 20 healthy subjects. Suicidal patients classified as impetuous, desperate and ambivalent types had significantly reduced whole blood 5-HT levels in comparison with the appealing type as well as nonsuicidal subjects. No differences were detected in the HVA content, but whole blood tryptophan concentrations were significantly reduced in impetuous suicidal patients and depressed patients compared to healthy subjects. This study provides evidence for reduced whole blood serotonin content based on different types of parasuicide. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.