Suicidology
Encyclopedia
Suicidology is the scientific study of suicide
, suicide prevention
, and cultures who view suicide as a religious act . The word 'suicide' comes from the Latin words sui (of oneself) and cide or ciduim (a killing). There are many different fields and disciplines involved with suicidology, the two primary ones being psychology and sociology. Every year about one million people commit suicide, which is a mortality rate of sixteen per 100,000 or one death every forty seconds. Suicide is largely preventable with the right actions, knowledge about suicide, and a change in society's view of suicide to make it more acceptable to talk about suicide.
and Karl Menninger Karl Menninger
had similar views on suicide. Their definition of suicide had three different aspects. One was a murder involving hatred or the wish to kill. The second one was a murder by the self often involving guilt or the wish to be killed. The last one is the wish to die. They thought of suicide being a murderous death wish that was turned back upon one's own self. Sigmund Freud also believed that we had two opposing basic instincts—life (eros) and death (thanatos)— and all instincts sought tension reduction. He also believed that suicide is more likely in advanced civilizations requiring greater repression of sexual and aggressive energy. Jean Baechler's definition of suicide was that suicide denotes all behavior that seeks and finds the solution to an existential problem by making an attempt on the life of the subject. Another worker in the field of suicidology was Joseph H. Davis. The definition he gave for suicide was a suicide is a fatal willful self-inflicted life-threatening act without apparent desire to live; implicit are two basic components lethality and intent. Albert Camus Albert Camus
also did some work in this field. He believed that whether one can live or chooses to live is the only truly serious philosophical problem. He also claimed that man created a god in order to be able to live without a wish to kill himself and that the only human liberty is to come to terms with death. He introduced Darwinian thought into his teachings.
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, suicide prevention
Suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of local citizen organizations, mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide....
, and cultures who view suicide as a religious act . The word 'suicide' comes from the Latin words sui (of oneself) and cide or ciduim (a killing). There are many different fields and disciplines involved with suicidology, the two primary ones being psychology and sociology. Every year about one million people commit suicide, which is a mortality rate of sixteen per 100,000 or one death every forty seconds. Suicide is largely preventable with the right actions, knowledge about suicide, and a change in society's view of suicide to make it more acceptable to talk about suicide.
Short history
Most suicidologists think about the history of suicide in terms of courts, church, press, morals, society. In Ancient Greece there were several opinions about suicide. It was tolerated and even lauded when committed by patricians (generals and philosophers) but condemned if committed by plebeans (common people) or slaves. In Rome suicide was viewed rather neutrally, even positively because life was held cheaply. During the early Christian era excessive martyrdom and a penchant toward suicide frightened church elders sufficiently for them to introduce a serious deterrent. Suicide was thought of as a crime because it precluded possibility of repentance and it violated the sixth commandment which is Thou shall not kill. During this time also St. Thomas Aquinas emphasized that suicide was a mortal sin because it disrupted God's power over man's life and death. However, nowhere in the Judeo-Christian Bible is there a directive forbidding suicide. This belief took hold and for hundreds of years thereafter played an important part in the Western view of suicide. Over the last 200 years the main focus of suicide has moved from accusations that it is a sin to effort at compassion, understanding, and prevention.Parts of study
There are many points of study within suicidology. Suicidology studies not only successful suicide and attempted suicide but also partial self-destruction, suicidal ideation, parasuicide,and self-destructive behaviors and attitudes. Suicidal ideation is when someone is having thoughts and/ or showing gestures of suicide. For example, it could be as simple as someone saying that "life is not worth living any more" or it can be extreme as "I'm going to kill myself by jumping off a bridge." Parasuicide is when someone causes deliberate harm to themselves. For example, if someone were to take an overdose of medicine and live. Self-destructive behaviors are anything that cause harm to oneself. This can be intentional or unintentional. Some examples are alcoholism, risky sports, some sexual disorders, and eating disorders. By way of a suicide note the person who is committing suicide has the last word Suicide notes. It is also a way for the person to explain, bring closure (or not), to give guilt, to dictate wishes, to control, to forgive or to blame. Here is a list of the parts that might go into a suicide note.| Possible Attributes of a Suicide Note |
|---|
| A need to control and direct |
| A plea for forgiveness |
| An absolution |
| Ambivalence and uncertainty |
| Poignant despair |
| Remorse and regret |
| Being a savior/being saved |
| Altruism |
| Lack of pleasure |
| Self-criticism |
Contributors to suicidology
One of the first to contribute to the study of suicidology is Edwin S. Shneidman. Edwin Shneidman is considered to be the father of suicidology. Shneidman's definition of suicide is a conscious act of self-induced annihilation, best understood as a multidimensional malaise in a needful individual who defines an issue for which suicide is perceived as the best solution. He thought of suicide as psychache or intolerable psychological pain. Another notable person in the field of suicidology is Emile Durkheim. To Durkheim the word suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result. Basically he saw suicide as an external and constraining social fact independent of individual psychopathology. In David J. Mayo's definition there were four elements to suicide. The first element was a suicide has taken place only if a death has occurred. The second element is it must be of one's own doing. The third the agency of suicide can be active or passive. And lastly it implies intentionally ending one's own life. Sigmund Freud Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
and Karl Menninger Karl Menninger
Karl Menninger
Karl Augustus Menninger , was an American psychiatrist and a member of the famous Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.- Biography :...
had similar views on suicide. Their definition of suicide had three different aspects. One was a murder involving hatred or the wish to kill. The second one was a murder by the self often involving guilt or the wish to be killed. The last one is the wish to die. They thought of suicide being a murderous death wish that was turned back upon one's own self. Sigmund Freud also believed that we had two opposing basic instincts—life (eros) and death (thanatos)— and all instincts sought tension reduction. He also believed that suicide is more likely in advanced civilizations requiring greater repression of sexual and aggressive energy. Jean Baechler's definition of suicide was that suicide denotes all behavior that seeks and finds the solution to an existential problem by making an attempt on the life of the subject. Another worker in the field of suicidology was Joseph H. Davis. The definition he gave for suicide was a suicide is a fatal willful self-inflicted life-threatening act without apparent desire to live; implicit are two basic components lethality and intent. Albert Camus Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
also did some work in this field. He believed that whether one can live or chooses to live is the only truly serious philosophical problem. He also claimed that man created a god in order to be able to live without a wish to kill himself and that the only human liberty is to come to terms with death. He introduced Darwinian thought into his teachings.
Suicide myths
Here is a list of suicide myths and the truth behind these myths.| Myths | Truths |
|---|---|
| People who commit suicide always leave notes. | Most people don't leave notes. Only a small percentage leave any type of explanations about why they've chosen to kill themselves. |
| People who commit suicide don't warn others. | Out of ten people who kill themselves, eight have given definite clues to their intentions. They leave numerous clues and warnings to others, although some of their clues may be non-verbal or difficult to detect. |
| People who talk about suicide are only trying to get attention. | Few commit suicide without first letting someone else know how they feel. People thinking about suicide give clues and warnings as cries for help. Over 70% who do threaten to kill themselves either make an attempt or complete the act. |
| Once someone has already decided to commit suicide, nothing is going to stop them. | Most of the time suicidal people are ambivalent about committing suicide. Most individuals don't want to die they just want the pain they are feeling to stop. |
| Once the emotional state improves, the risk of suicide is over. | The highest rates of suicide occur within about three months of an apparent improvement in a severely depressed state. Energy level is the important factor in someone who's improving having the energy to act on a suicidal impulse, if they perceive a stumbling block to recovery. |
| After a person has attempted suicide, it is unlikely they will try again. | People who have attempted suicide are very likely to try again. 80% of people who commit suicide have made at least one previous attempt. |
| Don't mention suicide to someone who's showing signs of severe depression; it will plant the idea in their mind and they will act on it. | Many depressed people have already considered suicide as an option. Talking about suicide generally provides a sense of relief and understanding to the person. Talking about suicide is one of the most helpful things you can do. |
| An unsuccessful attempt means that the person wasn't serious about ending their life. | Some people are naive about how to kill themselves. The attempt in and of itself is the most important factor not the method. |
| People who commit suicide are mentally ill or insane. | Although a risk of suicide increases under the presence of mental illness, all suicidal individuals don't have a diagnosis of a mental disorder. Some individuals are under extreme strain and can see no other alternative. |
See also
- SuicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
- DepressionClinical depressionMajor depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
- EuthanasiaEuthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
- psychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
- psychiatryPsychiatryPsychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
- physiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
- sociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
- NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...