Suicide is an important issue - over the years, their number in Poland grows steadily over the years, while there are many effective methods to prevent suicide. There are many myths around the subject of suicide - it is a mistake, for example, to believe that a person who mentions suicide will definitely not commit suicide. Find out who commit suicide the most, find out what the risk factors for committing suicide are, and find out how you can prevent suicide deaths.

Contents:

  1. Suicide: definition
  2. Suicide: who commits it the most?
  3. Suicide: risk factors
  4. Suicide: protective factors
  5. Suicide: myths
  6. Suicide: Ways to Prevent
  7. Suicide: where to get help?

Suicide(ang. Suicide) accompanies the human population basically since the dawn of time. There were different approaches to suicide deaths - for example, in ancient Greece, people who successfully attempted suicide were deprived of all rights regarding burial according to honors and their bodies were buried far beyond the city limits.

In ancient Rome, the possibility of committing suicide was initially allowed, but later began to be considered a coup d'état for reasons of economic costs. Famous philosophers had different opinions on suicide, for example Aristotle strongly criticized it, while Plato had a rather ambivalent attitude towards it.

It was no different in later years - all over the world, over the centuries, opinions about suicide were very different. Today, suicide is criticized by most religions, and when it comes to legal aspects, in most countries of the world - unlike in the past - it is no longer considered a crime.

It is worth mentioning here, for example, about India, where this act is simply illegal and even in this country the legal consequences are brought against the family of the person who committed suicide.

Suicide: definition

There are several different terms related to the problem of suicide. The basic ones are thoughts of suicide, which are called reflections onthe topic of death, the possibility of leaving the world or what it will look like after a given person commits suicide.

A related, albeit somewhat different, problem is suicidal intentions (tendencies) in which suicidal thoughts are accompanied by considerations about a specific way to say goodbye to life or the collection of various items for that purpose.

A concept that probably does not need to be explained to anyone is a suicide attempt - it can be made or not. Yet another term, which is also related to suicidal behavior, isextended suicide , in which a person takes life not only from himself, but also from other people (e.g. his children or spouse).

Suicide: who commits it the most?

Suicide - contrary to appearances - anyone can actually commit. Most of all, however, it is performed by the elderly (aged 60-70 and more), as well as teenagers and young adults (aged 15 to 30).

Suicide acts are undertaken by both women and men, but it is noticeable that, as in women there are definitely more suicide attempts, in male representatives the percentage of successful suicides is much higher (which is the result of that men, during their suicide attempts, generally choose methods that give a greater chance of saying goodbye to life.)

What can be terrifying is not only the fact that even small children commit suicides, but also the specific numbers regarding the frequency of their committing.

It is estimated that every year around 800,000 people lose their lives in the world due to suicide. It is also worth mentioning here that - according to the data on the United States - in general, suicides are the 10th most common cause of death, while in the 15-24 age group, they are, right after road accidents, the second most frequent cause of death patients belonging to this age group.

Such a high frequency of suicides should be a sufficient argument that this issue is definitely worth discussing.

Suicide: risk factors

Suicides - contrary to appearances - can be prevented. However, for this to be possible, it is necessary to identify those people who have the greatest risk of doing it. The following problems are listed among the risk factors for committing suicide:

  • mental disorders (mainly depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and eating disorders andpersonality);
  • use of psychoactive substances (the risk of suicide may increase both after taking a drug, as well as during the period of abstinence, when the addicted person develops withdrawal symptoms);
  • low socioeconomic status;
  • family problems (such as the death of a loved one, divorce, but also financial problems in the family);
  • problems in the professional environment;
  • the patient has attempted suicide in the past;
  • attempting or committing suicide by one of the family members of the patient;
  • suffering from severe diseases (both chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart failure, but also cancer).

A rather interesting aspect that is worth mentioning here is the increased risk of suicide in people discharged from psychiatric hospitals.

Patients after hospitalization may feel insecure - they have finally left the hospital, where they had both fewer responsibilities and constant care - and returning to daily life is usually extremely difficult for them.

Due to this risk, the patient, for some time after psychiatric hospitalization, should be under increased care both from his family and from the attending psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Important

According to the police statistics for 2022, 4,524 men and 751 women carried out successful suicide attacks in Poland. Most people hanged themselves (4,313), threw themselves from a height (342) or under a moving vehicle (105).

Polish women and Poles most often commit suicide because of suffering from a mental illness (1017), misunderstandings in the family (285), heartbreak (231) and poor economic conditions (219).

Suicide: protective factors

Researchers dealing with the subject of suicide distinguish not only risk factors for committing suicides, but also protective factors that may reduce the risk that the patient will commit suicide. Among them, there are:

  • pregnancy,
  • social support,
  • solid employment,
  • having children,
  • no burden of mental disorders or somatic diseases,
  • deep religiousness.

Suicide: myths

There are many myths about suicide that should definitely be debunked. One of the most serious is that a person who makes it clear about the consideration of death will not actually commit suicide at all.

This is an absolute fiction because most people who eventually commit suicidepreviously, she had mentioned difficult thoughts to other people. Although it is sometimes taken as an attempt to attract attention, the fact is that most often telling loved ones about suicide intentions is actually a cry for help.

Another very problematic myth about suicide is the one according to which the youngest do not engage in such acts.

Unfortunately, this is also not true - in practice it turns out that even several-year-old children undertake attempts and committed suicides. It is also inconsistent with reality that suicide acts are not committed by people who have a successful family life, a good education and a recognized professional position - in fact, anyone can commit suicide, even a person who theoretically succeeds in life, but in fact struggles with serious problems. psychiatric problems.

The belief that functions quite often is that you should never ask anyone about suicidal thoughts, because it may provoke suicide. In practice, it is definitely the opposite - a person who has such thoughts and is asked about them may then feel that someone is worried about him, in addition, he may also have an honest conversation about the motives of the plans in his head. It happens that the conversation itself helps a lot, and often it is also the first step in seeking specialist help.

Suicide: Ways to Prevent

Fortunately, suicides can be prevented. However, what to do when a loved one tells us about his suicide plans depends primarily on his condition. When we know that he has suicidal intentions, he does not see the meaning of life or has even started to collect some items with which he has decided to kill himself, there is no way out - you should go to a psychiatric emergency room or to a psychiatric emergency room as soon as possible. hospital emergency department.

Help is also available in mental he alth clinics (where it is possible to visit a psychiatrist or psychologist) and in crisis intervention centers. The most important thing in the case of observing suicidal tendencies in a loved one, however, is to surround them with the greatest possible support - it is possible that when they notice that they can really count on their loved ones, they will change their plans.

In other situations, it may be a motivation to undertake the required treatment - pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy. It is worth mentioning here that one of the suicide prevention strategies is the effective treatment of mental disorders and diseases.

Also read

A suicide attempt is a cry for help from loved ones

Depression: causes, symptoms, types and treatment

Frequent change of mood: what is this symptom?

Why is long-term stress dangerous to your he alth?

Suicide: where to get help?

If you are someone who is considering committing suicide, remember that there are people who can help save your life. It is worth asking for help from relatives, teachers, friends, and if you cannot count on such help, you are still not alone. Here are people and institutions that you can ask for help. If you are close to someone who, based on what he says (mentions wanting to take his own life), how he behaves (he is sadder, gives away his belongings, talks about death), you can also use this help and report that you think someone close to you may want to take their own life.

  • If you are a child or a teenager, call the free number 116 111- open from Monday to Sunday from 12-2 or visit the website 116111.pl. You can write a message using the form placed there.
  • If you are an adult, call the 24-hour free number 800 70 22 22or visit the website Linieawsparcia.pl

For more information, see the article below!

Category:

Psychiatry