Preventing Suicide: We all have a Role to Play
Many people don’t and won’t understand why others commit suicide. Today, as the world celebrates the Suicide Prevention Day, we ponder on the subject that is too often avoided. Let us take a closer look into the causes, risk factors and prevention strategies of suicide – the leading cause of death in UK and other parts of the world. With education and awareness, we can all save lives.
Suicide Risk & Mental Illness
Some people choose to end their lives, thinking that it is the best way to resolve their problems or ease the helplessness and intense sadness they feel. According to the World Health Organisation, about one million people die of suicide around the world, and there has been 60 per cent increase in the suicide risk in the past 45 years.
Research has shown that in the UK, many people who commit suicide have mental illness, particularly depression and substance abuse. Other mental illnesses linked to high suicide rates, according to the NHS, are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder (characterised by unstable emotions) and anorexia nervosa.
Suicide is also common among gays, lesbians or transgender, veterans and soldiers, prisoners and those released from prisons, and among professionals whose occupations provide access to potential ways of dying by suicide, like doctors, nurses, pharmacists and members of the armed forces.
Nonetheless, it is important to know that not all people with mental illness commit suicide. In the article entitled “The Ultimate Endpoint” published in the journal Nature Medicine, Marsha Linehan, a psychological researcher at the University of Washington argued that it isn’t mental illness that’s linked to suicide, but suicidal behaviour.
The Suicidal Behaviour
One should know that deep within, suicidal people are experiencing an inner battle – one side of them (the real self) wants to live and seek help, and another side (the anti-self) wants to die. It is possible to reach out and nurture their ‘real self’ so it triumphs over their ‘anti-self’.
It is very rare that suicidal people won’t show a sign or any indication that they are about to kill themselves. Familiarising ourselves with these warning signs is the first crucial step to preventing suicide:
- Anxiety and agitation issues
- Disturbed sleeping patterns
- Past attempts
- Severe self-hating thoughts
- Hopelessness, rage and extreme sadness
- Loss of interest in hobbies and favourite activities
- Isolation from friends and family
- Risk-taking behaviour
- Suicidal thoughts and plans
- Self-destructive behaviour
Many people tend to ignore these signs shown by a friend or family member until it’s too late. If someone you know talks about suicide and say things like “you’re better off without me”, take this as a warning sign that something is wrong. It’s because when people talk about suicide, it means they are considering it.
We can all help save a life
The role of friends, family and the society is critical to the prevention of suicide. All of us, regardless of our profession, age and status in life can do something to save people from ending their lives. There are two essential ways to reach out to people at risk of suicide: first, learning how to spot the signs and noticing changes in behaviour linked with suicide, and second, showing that we care. People who attempt suicide tend to feel that they are alone in this world and no one understands or cares about them.
Some experts agree that treating suicidal behaviour alone is a less effective prevention strategy. According to Linehan, suicide prevention involves a comprehensive approach that involves the family, community, and systems-level factors, not just the individual factors.
Therapies for Suicide Prevention
Attempted suicide is one of the strongest risk factors for repeat suicide attempts and completed suicides in adults. Previous studies have shown that people who have attempted suicide in the past are 40 per cent more likely to do it again than those who haven’t attempted yet. But despite the known risks, little is known about the effective treatments in preventing suicide.
However, a 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that talking with a therapist about what triggers suicidal thoughts and behaviours may be an effective approach to preventing the risk of suicide. The main goal of talk therapy is to identify thoughts, images and beliefs that were involved in previous suicide attempts and addressing those issues, and helping patients develop ways to cope with stressors.
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