At the end of chapter 9 in the section ‘Other Myths to Explore’ a number of myths are described concerning suicide. Summarize these myths and clarify their actual basis. What are the most significant indicators that someone will commit suicide? And what should you do in instances where you suspect that someone might be thinking of committing suicide?
At the end of chapter 9 in the section of “Other Myths to Explore”, there are eight myths about suicide that all have clarifying truth to it. In 2013 there was 842,000 suicides, making it the 10th leading cause of deaths in the world (2015). The myths of suicide range from not having a warning, to what season suicide happens the most, and what gender commits suicide the most. Most of these myths
…show more content…
Myth 2 states that individuals that commit suicide leave a note behind explaining why they took this path, the fact is about 20% of individuals who commit suicide leave a note behind (that is only a small group). Myth 3 states that individuals who talk about suicide are unlikely to commit suicide, the fact about this myth is that talking repeatedly about suicide is one of the best predictors of those who want to commit suicide. Myth 4 states that if you ask someone about suicide it will increase their risk to commit suicide, the fact is that there is no evidence of this in any studies to show if it is true. Myth 5 states that suicide happens more during the Christmas holidays, the fact is that suicide rates stay the same or decrease during the holidays. Myth 6 states that suicide happens during the winter nights, and the actual fact is that suicides happen during the warmest months. Myth 7 states that adolescents are the group that is at the highest risk of suicide, which isn’t true. The true basis is that the age group that has the highest risk of suicide attempts is the elderly, especially older men. This truth goes into the truth of Myth 8, which has to do with gender. Myth 8 states that more women commit suicide than men. The truth is yes more women attempt suicide more than men, but men succeed more than women when committing suicide (2011, p.
Lickerman MD, Alex. "The Six Reasons People Attempt Suicide." Blog. Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 July 2011.
Suicide is the eleventh most common cause of death in the United States. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a person takes their own life once every fourteen minutes in the United States (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention [AFSP], 2011). Still, with suicide rates so high, suicide is a taboo topic in our society. Though suicide is intended to end one person’s pain, it causes an immeasurable amount of pain and suffering to loved ones close to the deceased.
In a study released by Brown University, their psychology department shed some light on common myths and facts surrounded suicide. These m...
A mother finds her 17 year old teenage son hanging from the rafters of their basement. To hear of this occurrence is not rare in society today. Every 90 minutes a teenager in this country commits suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. The National suicide rate has increased 78% between 1952 and 1992. The rate for 15-19 year olds rose from two per 100,000 to 12.9, more than 600 percent. (Special report, Killing the Pain, Rae Coulli)
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” - Phil Donahue. As a complex, tragic public health issue, suicide occurs in men significantly more often than in women. Suicide is simply defined as the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, but the factors that play into a person making that decision are anything but simple. The most obvious and severe effect of suicide is the loss of a valuable, meaningful human life. According to Harvard School of Public Health (n.d.), suicide affects parents, children, siblings, friends, lovers and spouses; the loss for society is psychological, spiritual, and financial. People who lose a loved one to suicide often experience devastating effects and deal with a complex grief. These “suicide survivors” typically feel a range of emotions from sadness, blame, and guilt to extreme anger and confusion. “Suicide among males is four times higher than among females and represents 79% of all U.S. suicides” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2012). This gender paradox is one of the most compelling components regarding who is most at risk to attempt suicide. Why is it that men commit suicide more often than women? More than four times as many men as women die by suicide because depressed men are less likely to seek out help, men typically use more violent, lethal methods and cannot be resuscitated, and men carry the pressure of employment, providing for and protecting a family, and maintaining relationships.
Men are more likely to carry out a suicide and women are more likely to attempt
As the rate of suicides increases in our nation, it has risen consistently with white males leading the way, as shown in figures 1 and 2. There are many theories behind what is driving this, however there are no hard facts behind any of these theories and there is still no concrete reason why white males are more prone to commit suicide.
attempt suicide than boys, but more boys will commit suicide than girls (2). Every year 30,000
The thought of life coming to an end is a scary thought for anyone, but for someone who is depressed and suicidal it may seem to them as a release of some kind. In reality is suicide going to solve these patient’s problems? The patient may think so, but it will not solve any issues or problems. Suicide is a pertinent solution that no one can return from. My experience with depressed and suicidal people or patients is small. This is why I chose to write about patients who are depressed and suicidal. Even though my experience is small. I want to learn what can be done for these patients, and how I can be a better advocate for them.
Suicide is a sad story many people are reluctant to approach. But when somebody nearest to them kills themselves, they feel the compelling guilt of trying to understand the motive behind the death. It is a complex and rather devastating subject. Many who kill themselves can never come back to tell us what happened and why it did. Suicide takes an emotional toll on it's survivors and wreck havoc in the wake of the surrounding victims. What causes suicide is a probing series of many theories, and yet not one definitive answer. The prevention of suicide is also difficult to pinpoint, but only because the intent is unknown. The importance of researching the motives of the suicidal is essential to modern humanity as a whole, because in the era we live in, suicide rates are climbing faster than ever. Understanding the driving force behind suicide is what can help the field of social science to save the conscience mind of many people from self-destruction - and save their lives, and the emotions of their loved ones.
Young women are responsible for 14 percent of women suicides. So approximately 7,000 women commit suicide a year and males are up to 20,000 suicides, yearly. Even though youth suicides get the most attention, people believe suicide amongst the older people does not happen. But, reality check, it does. A considerable amount of suicides are done by older people seeking to end a life of pain.
Another myth that is highly presumed is that children under the age of six don’t commit suicide. Lots of children learn from their surroundings just how to commit suicide and why. Along with the already long list of myths regarding suicide is the myth that the lack of weapons within reach can help limit the child’s resources to commit suicide. To some extent that may be true but weapons are not the only way kids commit suicide, methods like drugs or toxic concoctions are only a few non weapon methods used in childhood
Another complication in analysing causes of suicide is the variation between cases. Some will be clearly planned events, with finances and family situations adjusted beforehand, notes written. Others will be on the spur of the moment, with difficulty establishing whether it was deliberate or accidental. Some will be violent, immediate acts whilst others will be drawn out affairs with low lethality (dependent on availablilty of help). Most importantly, some individuals will not succeed – or chillingly, not at first. One of the greatest predictors for completed suicide is attempted previous suici...
Suicide is a much bigger problem than society will admit; the causes, methods, and prevention need to be discussed more openly. Committing suicide probably sounds like a foreign idea to most people, but to the people who think about it, they deal with it every day. More importantly, the question is what leads people to kill themselves? In general, most people do not want to actually kill themselves, even though many people joke about it on a daily basis. Being human, we all have a certain amount of will to live.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Print. The. Suicide and Suicidal Behaviors. Suicide : Medline Plus.