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Suicide
No suicide attempt should be dismissed or treated lightly!
Warning Signs
Risk Factors For Suicide
Preventing Suicide/Crisis Intervention
What To Do If A Friend Or Relative Is Suicidal
On-Going Treatment
Teen Suicide
Facing The Danger Of Teen Suicide
Recognizing The Warning Signs
Helping Suicidal Teens
References and Links
Suicide and Depression support from Befrienders International (English and Arabic) http://befrienders.org/mainindex.htm
No suicide attempt should be dismissed or treated lightly!
Often, suicide is glamorized and romanticized in drama and literature, frequently described as "honorable" or "noble." In reality, however, it is a national crisis resulting in 32,000 deaths in the U.S. in 1994, and 110,000 hospitalizations for suicide attempts. It is estimated that the ratio of attempts to suicide is at least 10 to 1. Between 30 and 40 percent of suicide victims have made a previous attempt, and the risk of a completed suicide is 100 times greater in the first year after an attempt. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death. A majority of people who commit suicide have a mental or emotional disorder.
- Verbal threats such as "You’d be better off without me" or "Maybe I won’t be around anymore..."
- Expressions of hopelessness and/or helplessness.
- Previous suicide attempts.
- Daring and risk-taking behavior.
- Personality changes (i.e. withdrawal, aggression, moodiness).
- Depression.
- Giving away prized possessions.
- Lack of interest in the future.
Risk Factors For Suicide
The reasons behind suicide are difficult to define. Among the immediate
motives are despair, hopelessness, illness, humiliation, loss of
employment, loss of a relationship, death in the family, guilt, and
psychotic delusions.
Many different high risk groups and/or factors can lead a person to commit suicide:
- Depression - Between 30 and 70 percent of
suicide victims suffered from major depression or bipolar disorder.
- Substance Abuse - It is estimated that 50%
of suicides involve substance abuse. The rate of suicide in
alcoholics is 3 to 4 times the average, and for narcotics users it
is 5 times the average. Often, depression is also a factor in these
cases and it is difficult to tell whether the addiction caused the
depression or vise versa.
- Elderly - Elderly people, particularly those
with chronic illnesses, have the highest suicide rate of any other
age group. An estimated 40% of all suicide victims are people over
60, and the majority are white males. After age 75, the rate is 3
times the average, and after age 80 the risk is 6 times the average.
- Adolescents/Young Adults - Young people, age
15 to 24 account for 20% of male suicides, and 14% of female
suicides. Suicide attempts are among the leading causes of hospital
admissions in people under 35.
- Schizophrenia - One third of people with schizophrenia attempt suicide, and 5 to 10 percent eventually do so. The majority of these are young, unemployed males with no families. They are usually isolated and may also have substance abuse problems.
Preventing Suicide/Crisis
Intervention
The only way to prevent suicide is to treat the mental and/or emotional
disorders which lead to suicidal tendencies. Though most suicidal people
usually do not call suicide and crisis hotlines, they do try to seek
help.
Many, for example, visit a doctor 1 to 4 months prior to their death. The majority of people will reveal suicidal thoughts when asked. Mental health professionals need to react quickly and act decisively in a crisis situation. The therapist should be available at all times, and others, such as family, friends, doctors, and clergy may need to be alerted as well.
Treating suicidal patients requires much skill, empathy, patience and understanding. There is no single therapy or treatment which is appropriate and successful in all circumstances. Therapists dealing with suicide crises should have a great deal of experience and be capable of tolerating heavy demands and intrusions on their personal lives.
What To Do If A Friend Or Relative Is Suicidal
- Trust your instincts and believe that the person may attempt suicide.
- Talk with the person about your concerns and show that you care and want to help.
- Ask the person direct questions. The more detailed their plan, the greater the immediate risk.
- Remember that the most important thing is to listen.
- Get professional help - even if the person resists.
- Do not leave the person alone.
- Do not swear to secrecy.
- Do not act shocked or judge the person.
- Do not counsel the person.
On-Going Treatment
Cognitive and behavioral therapies are both successful in treating
suicidal patients by teaching new behavior and ways of thinking, and in
developing new solutions and attitudes to problems. Cognitive therapy
attempts to get the patient to acknowledge his or her feelings, both
negative and positive, and to suggest alternative ways of thinking.
Behavioral therapy involves assertiveness training, problem-solving,
social skills and ways to cope with stress, depression, and anxiety.
Teens need adult guidance more than ever to understand all the emotional and physical changes they are experiencing. When teens’ moods disrupt their ability to function on a day-to day basis, it may indicate a serious emotional or mental disorder that needs attention - adolescent depression.
Facing The Danger Of Teen Suicide
Sometimes teens feel so depressed that they consider ending their lives. Each
year, almost 5,000 young people, ages 15 to 24, kill themselves. The rate of
suicide for this age group has nearly tripled since 1960, making it the their
leading cause of death in adolescents and the second leading cause of death
among college age youth.
Studies show that suicide attempts among young people may be based on long standing problems triggered by a specific event. Suicidal adolescents may view a temporary situation as a permanent condition. Feelings of anger and resentment combined with exaggerated guilt can lead to impulsive, self-destructive acts.
Recognizing The Warning Signs
Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warnings. Pay
attention to these warning signs:
- Suicide threats, direct and indirect
- Obsession with death
- Poems, essays and drawings that refer to death
- Dramatic change in personality or appearance
- Irrational, bizarre behavior
- Overwhelming sense of guilt, shame or refection
- Changed eating or sleeping patterns
- Severe drop in school performance
- Giving away belongings
- Offer help and listen. Encourage depressed teens to
talk about their feelings. Listen, don’t lecture.
- Trust your instincts. If it seems that the situation
may be serious, seek prompt help. Break a confidence if necessary, in order
to save a life.
- Pay attention to talk about suicide. Ask direct
questions and don’t be afraid of frank discussions. Silence is deadly!
- Seek professional help. It is essential to seek
expert advice from a mental health professional who has experience helping
depressed teens. Also, alert key adults in the teen’s life - family,
friends and teacher.
What About You?
Perhaps you have sometimes felt like ending your life. Don’t be ashamed of it.
Many people, young and old, share your feelings. Talk to someone you trust. If
you like, you can call one of the agencies mentioned above and talk about the
way you feel without telling them who you are. Things seem very bad sometimes.
But those times don’t last forever. Ask for help. You can be helped. Because
you deserve it.
Remember!!
The above information has been provided by
National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org