Self Help - Suicide Awareness

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. It's a myth that people who threaten to end their life will not do it. In psychological observations, the person who wishes to end their life will usually communicate it upfront. Potential suicides can be recognized before they act. They will disclose it to people who are close to them and to their psychiatrists & therapists. That is why suicide notes are evident in suicides. This article is to bring awareness about suicide and see what can be done. 

As per wiki, about 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and out of these, 135,000 are from India alone. Between 1987 and 2007, the suicide rate increased from 7.9 to 10.3 per 100,000, with higher suicide rates in southern and eastern states of India. In 2012, Tamilnadu (12.5% of all suicides), Maharastra (11.9%), and WestBengal (11.0%) had the highest proportion of suicides. Among large population states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had the highest suicide rates per 100,000 people in 2012. The male to female suicide ratio has been about 2:1. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. 

Psychologic Causes of Suicide

Sigmund Freud believed that the loss of someone on whom an individual is ambivalently dependent results in pathologic depression. During the period of mourning, the individual get themselves the image of the departed person and begins to have the same feelings towards the departed person. The unconscious hostility directed towards the lost person then becomes directed towards thyself and culminate in the act of self-destruction and self-hostility. 

People who commit suicides can be classified into four general types. 

1.  The beliefs lead them to realize that suicide as a transition to a better life or saving reputation. (Eg. Hara-kiri, Seppukku, etc.)
2. People who are old, bereaved, or in physical pain who considers suicide as a release from all those. 
3. People who are psychotic and kill themselves because of delusions and hallucinations.
4. People who kill themselves out of spite, thinking that others will pay respect and mourn to them. The sad part is that they believe that they will watch the sorrows of others because of their death.

In "anniversary syndrome," a person who kills themselves on the same date of death of their loved one, or their birthday or relevant, memorable years. One example is the lead singer of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington, who committed suicide on his deceased best friend's birthday. In the psychodynamics of suicide, severe losses and threats of loss take high priority. These include loss of health, loved ones, money, power, job, pride, beauty, honor, status, independence, friends, and family. In "empty nest syndrome," a person commits suicide because the children have grown and moved away. Chronic or terminal illness often contributes to loneliness, emptiness, existential crisis that presages suicide. 

Suicide is understandable in soldiers as prisoners who face execution or, even worse, torture. Hopelessness correlates more significantly with the seriousness of suicidal intent. The cerebrocortical activities weaken because of high alcoholic intake, sleeplessness, and barbiturates (sedatives and sleep-inducers, which contain barbituric acid) and due to the weakening the neuropsychological approach that triggers the final decision to commit suicide increases. 

Sociologic Theories of Suicide

The more intimate the relationship, the less the wish for suicide. The suicide rate is higher in cities where people do not have time for relationships but less in rural areas where relationships are valued higher. The higher percentage in the center of cities than in residential areas. Higher in widowed and divorced than among the married. There is a direct relationship between suicide and social status. One who considers social status as high is more prone to kill themselves when the status they believe is at high risk. The same applies to people in upper socioeconomic classes who have high chances of suicide. 

Comparatively, men commit suicide more than women. The discrepancy is because women are more protected in society, and mental health care is more available to them. Men are usually considered tough, and cry for help is not a choice. They struggle to ask for help in most of the cases and leads to suicide. These are all taboos in society, which leads to suicide. Cultural attitude toward suicide is another essential factor. In the USA, where suicide is condemned, there are fewer suicide cases. In Japan, where suicide is praised, there are more. 

Age also plays as one of the social factors. Teenage kids are more prone to suicide between the age of 15-19. 

Continue Reading here to know more about signs, prevention, and treatment.