Suppose you were to look at four different statements, each made in the therapist’s office by a different teenager who might be harboring thoughts of suicide. Which statement should raise the biggest red flag?
Explanation
Answer: B - The statement that raises the biggest red flag is the one coming from the teenager intending to buy a gun. Not only does that teenager have a concrete plan for how to carry out the suicide, the method of choice is a lethal weapon. Although the threat to take the pills also indicates a method, it is not a violent one, and it could also fail and, in addition, not wanting to upset one’s mother is a powerful motive not to take the pills. The stated intent to buy a gun that very day, despite the speaker trying to convince the therapist not to worry, should be viewed as a real threat requiring immediate intervention.
