There didn’t seem to be any cultural events involved in Albert’s scenario in other than the pain that he was constantly in as well as his troubled background. Albert appeared to have some mental issues, which may be a reason for his family disowning him. He was also in a significant amount of pain that he felt wasn’t being properly treated by his physician. This led Albert to believe that he had no other option other than to publicly threaten to attempt suicide; since he was in constant pain that could never seem to cease despite his efforts, he felt that he may as well die. This could be considered a cultural factor in the sense that he appeared to have some sort of undefined mental condition(s) and pre-conceived beliefs (Alacron, 2009).
Everything seemed to calm down effectively after Sherry was able to admit Albert into a room. She essentially followed the proper guidelines according to the Mayo Clinic (2015). She was uplifting and calm in how she talked to him and successfully retrieved all of the information that she needed. She was able to get Albert psychiatric help as well as being able to continue treatment for his physical pain. He was compliant during the entire process and even avoided arrest on the condition that he surrender his firearm. Since everything went smoothly, this was all appropriate protocol.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), Albert had many risk factors that most likely contributed to this scenario. He said himself that he had been experiencing feelings of severe hopelessness that accompanied constant physical pain. Additionally, he had experienced many personal losses regarding his family members and also had very easy access to a firearm. Combined with all of these factors, Albert also seemed to be mentally unstable in some ways.
- Alacron, R. (2009, October 8). Culture, cultural factors and psychiatric diagnosis: review and projections. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2755270/
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, August 15). Suicide Risk and Protective Factors|Suicide|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/riskprotectivefactors.html
- Mayo Clinic. (2015, May 28). Suicide: What to do when someone is suicidal – Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/suicide/in-depth/suicide/art-20044707
