Читать книгу Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White - Страница 117

While midlife women today have greater freedom in their life choices than generations before them, their lives are not without stress and their choices not without risk. While popular media likes to encourage ideas such as “fifty is the new thirty” or that “reinvention” of oneself at midlife is easily achievable, many women do not embrace this period in life as lustily as cultural messages suggest they might. In fact, there are harrowing statistics that suggest that midlife is an increasingly troubling time for women. The suicide rates for women aged forty-five to sixty-four has increased dramatically in the past two decades; in fact, the rate jumped 60 percent between 2000 and 2016 (Curtin, Warner, & Hedegaard, 2016). Although there is seldom a single reason that a person attempts suicide, it is known that approximately 60 percent of people who die by suicide suffered from depression. It is also true that menopause-related hormonal changes can trigger depression. Be alert to any warning signs or mixed messages that your clients might express regarding life purpose or life meaning or value to others. Every client’s experiences differ, and it is important for counselors to assess for client well-being and support systems in place. Assess for self-harm, and if the client is at risk and feels unsafe, ensure that your client is transported to a hospital or other in-patient facility.