the victim as comfortable as possible. Fractures should
be immobilized and supported. Immobilization greatly
reduces, and sometimes eliminates, pain.
An injured person’s body heat must be conserved.
Therefore, heat is important in the treatment of shock.
Exposure to cold, with resulting loss of body heat, can
cause shock to develop or to become worse. You will
have to judge the amount of covering to use by
considering the weather and the general circumstances
of the accident. Often a light covering will be enough to
keep the casualty comfortable. Wet clothing should be
removed and dry covering provided, even on a hot day.
Use blankets or any dry material to conserve body heat.
Artificial means of warming (hot water bottles, heated
bricks, heated sand) should not ordinarily be used.
Artificial heat may cause loss of body fluids (by
sweating), and it brings the blood closer to the surface,
defeating the body’s own efforts to supply blood to the
vital organs and to the brain. Also, the warming agent
may burn the victim.
REVIEW 4 QUESTIONS
Q1. What is shock?
Q2. List the symptoms of shock.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Q3. True or false. Keep an injured person warm
enough for comfort, but do not let the victim
become overheated.
Q4. If you suspect a person to be in shock, what is the
best position for that person?
SUICIDE
Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you
will be able to—
Recognize suicidal tendencies and possible
treatment.
Suicide among young adults is a serious and
g r ow i n g p r o b l e m . A m o n g N av y p e r s o n n e l ,
approximately 10% of the Navy’s nonhostile
active-duty deaths are caused by suicide. Among the
leading causes of nonhostile deaths in the Navy, suicide
ranks third behind accidents and heat-related causes.
The most frequent suicide victims in the Navy are
enlisted males between the ages of 17 and 24 and in
paygrades E-1 to E-6.
Why suicide? There isn’t a simple answer as to why
people choose to kill themselves. Usually, some
emotional trauma is so great they “just want to stop the
pain.” They feel helpless, hopeless, and worthless. They
feel that suicide is the only way out.
CAUSES OF SUICIDE
Most suicides are caused by a combination of
events that lead a person to believe that suicide is the
only way out. The following are some common causes
of suicide:
The breakup of a close relationship with a loved
one or difficulties in interpersonal relationships
The death of a loved one, spouse, child, parent,
sibling, friend, or even a pet
The loss of social or financial status of the family
14-16
Student Notes:
