Depression, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, or personality disorders can cause suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts, e.g. "it is better for me to be gone", "my life has no sense" are thoughts related to the need to take one's own life and thus - free oneself from problems. They can appear in a person's life at different stages of maturity , are quite common and accompany existential considerations Suicidal thoughts are not always dangerous and do not always lead to suicide attempts, but they must not be taken lightly. See how to help a person experiencing suicidal thoughts and how to treat them.

Suicidal thoughtsmay appear in a person who experiences or experiences a sudden, negative situation, e.g. severe loss of a loved one, loss of goods, relationships and values ​​important to him, exceeding ability to deal with both emotions and actions.

Suicidal thoughts also appear in people who experience a long-term, chronic crisis situation with no apparent chance for change. They can then be the cause of suicidal tendencies, i.e. specific planning to commit suicide, and this may lead to a suicide attempt or an effective taking of one's own life.

Suicidal thoughts appear in people who do not have the ability to deal with stress constructively and are a way to release and escape from problems.

Other causes of experiencing suicidal thoughts may be mental problems: affective disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, taking psychoactive substances.

Suicidal thoughts and mental disorders

Suicidal thoughts very often concern people suffering from depression. They usually appear in the extreme phase of depression and end in attempting suicide in 15% of patients.

Depression is rated by the World He alth Organization as the fourth largest he alth problem in the world, and epidemiological studies show that at least one in five adults experiences a condition that can be diagnosed as depression and which requires specialist treatment.

Suicidal thoughts also appear in people suffering from bipolar disorder, the main onethe symptom is extreme mood swings - from mania to depression, from agitation, excessive euphoria, a sense of uniqueness to chronic sadness, a sense of worthlessness and overwhelming grayness. When in situations where mania symptoms are accompanied by depression symptoms in the form of aversion to life and suicidal thoughts, a life-threatening situation does arise.

Worth knowing

Men commit suicide more often than women

Like the list from the data of the National Police Headquarters, as much as 86 percent. of suicides in Poland are men. Such statistics are surprising, because depression, which is one of the causes of suicidal thoughts, affects women more often. However, women more often than men seek help. Men do not want to talk about their emotions, they decide to visit a psychiatrist less often.

The social role of a man is also perceived differently. He is the breadwinner of the family. Research shows that unemployed men are more likely to commit suicide than those who have a job. The deterioration of the financial situation is a significant psychological burden for men.

How to help someone with suicidal thoughts

When we find out that someone close to us has suicidal thoughts, we should be genuinely interested in their experiences, listen to them, express understanding of what they are going through, acceptance of their emotions.

It is important not to judge, not to panic, not to fall under the clutches of fear. It's worth trying to be patient and understanding, but at the same time firm and active when you need to convince the person suffering to go to a specialist.

Suicidal thoughts without tendencies (i.e. detailed planning of your own death), without previous suicide attempts, are not a reason for calling an ambulance or immediate hospitalization.

However, it is worth encouraging such a person to an outpatient consultation or a visit to the emergency room in a hospital (for consultation and he alth assessment) if the dates of visits to a psychiatrist or psychologist are too long.

It is good to accompany a loved one to make an appointment and go to a specialist, or - if this is not possible, at least monitor the situation until you see a specialist.

If the person experiencing suicidal thoughts is lonely, has no support, or has children in care, this consultation with a specialist should be made as soon as possible. In the case of people who not only have thoughts of suicide, but also show a tendency to commit suicide, call a doctor who will assess the need for immediate hospitalization of the patient.

Suicidal thoughts and personality disorders

Suicidal thoughts also accompany people with personality disorders, e.g. people diagnosed with borderline. These disorders develop during adolescence and last throughout life. The thoughts that arise in these people are the result of their inability to create constructive ways of dealing with problems on their own.

In contrast to, for example, depressive disorders, suicidal thoughts in the case of personality disorders are persistent and difficult to change in the treatment process. Many years of psychotherapy and in necessary situations - pharmacotherapy are helpful and promising. If left untreated, it leads to alienation, a deterioration in quality of life, and even suicide.

Suicidal thoughts and addiction

Addicted people more often than the rest of the population suffer from depression, one of the symptoms of which is suicidal thoughts. Drinking alcohol also worsens symptoms of depression. It is important to emphasize that addicts have a huge risk of committing suicide.

The probability of taking their own life is even a hundred times higher than in the entire population. Therefore, in situations where the patient confirms the desire to commit suicide or his condition makes him unable to meet his or her basic needs, he should go to a psychiatric ward.

Such dangers exist both in the case of alcohol intoxication or withdrawal states (the initial phase of physiological sobering up), when the patient feels very bad, both mentally and physically. When an addicted person begins to sober up, he or she is accompanied by an intense feeling of guilt, weakness, and embarrassment.

She is completely broken, does not see the future, has an extremely lowered sense of self-importance and value, is embittered, hates herself and the whole world around her. In people abusing alcohol and taking other psychoactive substances, anxiety disorders, psychoses, dementia may also appear, which results in the appearance of not only suicidal thoughts but also suicide attempts.

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Suicidal thoughts: where to get help

In a situation where you have suicidal thoughts or a person close to you experiences them - such situations happen to many people, you should use the help of specialists who can provide effective help. Do not postpone the decision so as not to escalate with fatigue, experienced difficulties and not prolong the suffering. Seek help from a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and crisis intervention specialist.

These specialists can be found in:

  • Mental He alth Clinics,
  • Crisis Intervention Center,
  • Social Welfare Center,
  • Psychological and Pedagogical Counseling Center,
  • County Family Support Center,
  • hospital
  • non-governmental organizations.

Talk about your troubles, share what you are going through with someone close to you, look for a helpline where you will find available people who will talk to you, e.g. ITAKA Foundation Antidepressant Helpline at: (22) 654 40 41 .

Category:

Psychiatry