Professional Documents
Culture Documents
comfortable a client is with their recreational therapist, they may be more willing to share
personal information. Some information you want to listen for is health factors, environmental
factors, and historical factors. Examples of these are depression, loss or grief, and previous
suicide attempts.
Another important aspect to this is the population of clients you are working with. As
stated in the Recreational Therapy Handbook of Practice, Suicideis most prevalent in
adolescents and the elderly (139). This means that one thing to pay attention to in the population
is the clients age. Another important factor into people who are more likely to commit suicide, is
how the population is viewed by society. Race, gender, and sexual orientation were taken into
account for the research reported in the article Suicide Ideation and Bullying Among US
Adolescents: Examining the Intersections of Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity,
their results showed that White and Hispanic gay and bisexual males, White lesbian and
bisexual females, and Hispanic bisexual females were more likely to be bullied than were White
heterosexual adolescents (Mueller, 2015). Meaning that there are many aspects you need to
consider when working with a population, and know who is possibly more at risk.
Overall, when working with the clients with these diagnoses you need to be
understanding. One approach to this is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the
article by Murrell says that The goal of ACT interventions is to increase psychological
flexibility. Psychological flexibility is an individuals ability to fully connect with the present
moment and to behave in ways consistent with ones identified values (Murrell, 2014). This
however is only one approach, and there are endless ways to help the client. So long as you
express your care for the client and try your hardest to help them, that is what matters most.
Body Functions
Code and Name: b1265 Optimism
Optimism deals with the point of view and outward or inward emotions when it comes to
their view on life or specific situations. Such as if they hopeful or cheerful, or if they are
despairing. This category falls under the mental functions section.
This code is relevant to the diagnosis of suicide and suicidal ideation, because usually
when a client has little optimism about their life, they might not believe that there is any other
way to deal with how they feel. With the uncertainty of what comes with the future a client may
lose hope which leads to lack of optimism.
Code and Name: b1301 Motivation
Motivation is what drives a person to carry out an action or goal, and this also includes
developing the incentive to act. This is covered under the mental functions category.
This code is relevant to this diagnosis, because often the clients who are diagnosed with
this may also be experiencing mood disorders such as depression. With depression comes a lack
of motivation to get out and accomplish things, either because they arent as enjoyable anymore
or the client may not see the point in trying.
This code is very relevant to this diagnosis because it is one of the main causes of this
diagnosis. When a person may not be able to deal with what life is dealing them, things may
begin to seem hopeless and suicide might seem like the only option to the client. I used the broad
code because these subsections show up frequently in clients, sometimes multiple at a time.
Code and Name: d5702 Maintaining Ones Health
This encompasses how well a person is taking care of themselves, and focuses in on the
health aspect of it. Health is a broad term and can cover many different parts of daily life. This
code is listed under the category of self-care.
This code may not be entirely obvious to everyone, but it is applicable. This applies to
this diagnosis because self-harm is common among people with suicidal ideation and that is not
taking care of themselves and is harmful. Also, when it comes to other disorders that may show
up as well as suicidal ideation, sometimes basic health needs are not taken care of, such as
illnesses and diet.
Code and Name: d9205 Socializing
This code deals with how well a client is able to interact with the people around them and
ability to make connections.
People with this diagnosis may not know how to reach out to the people around them to
get help, or may not have people already there to help them should they need it. Also, the client
may not want to socialize as much as they use to because they dont want to hurt the people
around them, or out of fear that the people may not understand what they are feeling.
Environmental Factors
Code and Name: e325 Acquaintances, Peers, Colleagues, Neighbors, and Community Members
This code is under the support and relationships category. This deals with how physically
and emotionally supportive this population is with the client.
With this diagnosis many of these people are adolescents, and with this comes a lot of
pressure from their peer group. If the client doesnt have emotional support from their peers they
may feel isolated and alone, and feel like they have no one to turn to for help.
References
Mueller, A. S., James, W., Abrutyn, S., & Levin, M. L. (2015). RESEARCH AND PRACTICE.
Suicide Ideation and Bullying Among US Adolescents: Examining the Intersections of
Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity. American Journal Of Public Health,
105(5), 980-985.
Murrell, A. R., Al-Jabari, R., Moyer, D., Novamo, E., & Connally, M. E. (2014). An acceptance
and commitment therapy approach to adolescent suicide. International Journal Of
Behavioral Consultation & Therapy, 9(3), 41-46.
Porter, H. R., & Burlingame, J. (2006). Recreational Therapy Handbook of Practice: ICF- Based
Diagnosis and Treatment. Enumclaw, WA: Idyll Arbor.
Risk Factors and Warning Signs - AFSP. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from
http://afsp.org/about-suicide/risk-factors-and-warning-signs/