Presuicidal syndrome is a mental state experienced by a person just before committing suicide. It identifies many comorbid disorders that are truly life-threatening. The only salvation for a person with symptoms of presuicidal syndrome is professional psychiatric help. How to recognize presuicidal syndrome and is its detection a chance for life?

Presuicidal syndromeis a symptom complex named in 1953 by an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist - Erwin Ringiel. By examining the psyche of would-be suicides, he found that most suicides were preceded by specific behaviors. Despite various motivations to take their own lives, the mental state of would-be suicides was almost identical in 80% of cases. So it was possible to distinguish between constant, repetitive elements.

Symptoms of presuicidal syndrome

Presuicidal syndrome is defined as a mental state in which three basic components can be distinguished and named, which can also be treated as mental disorders. These elements are specific human behavior that may indicate a willingness to commit suicide in the near future. Presuicidal syndrome consists of:narrowing of awareness ,inhibiting aggression and redirecting it to yourself ,imagining and suicidal thoughts . How does a person who wants to commit suicide behave?

Narrowing of awarenessmeans seeing the so-called tunnel. The person who struggles with it cannot see the opportunities and possibilities of solving their problems. So he assumes that he has no alternative to a normal life. Since narrowing of consciousness is a general disorder, there are more specific forms:

  • Situational narrowing.According to him, human capabilities are too small to meet the requirements of the environment. Man perceives himself as a helpless individual, weak in a very hostile and hostile world. It exceeds the problem it is struggling with. The only light in the tunnel to get out of trouble is death for him.
  • Dynamic narrowing.It's a feeling of pressure, the pressure of some outside force, to end your life as soon as possible. The only resistance left waswillpower that will weaken over time anyway. This is a moment of dark eyesight, deep pessimism, and the inability to see good things. Life appears to be a series of failures, no consolation is in sight.
  • Narrowing interpersonal relations.Suddenly a person lacks another, close and trusted person who could help him. Perhaps such a person has passed away, but it can also be a result of isolation from family and friends. The future suicide is filled with a void, loneliness increases, he begins to lack meaning in his life. There is a fear of rejection that prevents you from establishing a close relationship with anyone. Relationships tend to be superficial. Internal pain is getting stronger because, according to a person with presuicidal syndrome, there is no one who can help in this situation.
  • Narrowing the world of values.Means a deficit of values ​​in life, no passion, no interests. What used to be of some importance to man is now irrelevant. Values ​​become shallower and do not need to be defended. It even goes to the point that a person ceases to adhere to the values ​​that are generally accepted norms in social life. Thus, such a person is alienated and regarded as a weirdo. Lack of value in life greatly lowers self-esteem. Man considers himself to be completely worthless, unnecessary in this world.

Suicide is the most seriousform of auto-aggression , hence directing aggression towards oneself is classified as the presuicidal syndrome. Aggression comes from the frustration of a person who is unable to cope with the problem and accumulates emotions in himself to then vent them. First, there is usually aggression towards other people, after some time such aggression directed outside is stopped, and in return self-aggression occurs.

The last element of the presuicidal syndrome issuicidal fantasies . People with PRS often think about their death. While it is normal to incidentally fantasize about your own death, these thoughts become more frequent with future suicides. It becomes alarming when a person focuses in these reflections on a specific form of suicide and these suicidal thoughts build up over time. They become more and more intrusive and at some point they start to materialize, and a person begins to precisely prepare for death, planning it in every detail.

Worth knowing

In Poland, 15 people a day attempt suicide - 11 of them are successful. The number of people who are taking their own lives is growing at an alarming rate.

Back in 1998Suicides were the eighth leading cause of death in the world, but have now risen to the fourth position.

In Poland, more people die as a result of suicide than in road accidents. In 2022, 5276 people took their own lives (2,831 in cases). With the number of 14 suicides per 100,000. inhabitants annually are above the EU average.

Teen suicide rates are particularly worrying; data from the Police Headquarters show that in the last few years, suicides were the second or third cause of death in the 10-19 age group, after injuries and road accidents; 115 teenagers took their own lives in 2022.

Specialists, psychiatrists and suicidologists have long indicated the need for an active state policy in the field of suicide prevention.

How to help a person with presuicidal syndrome?

The described disorders characterizing the presuicidal syndrome may be symptoms of many mental disorders and are not always recognized as a sign of suicide. The problem of recognition is, among other things, the fact that the future suicide is isolated from other people. Lack of contact with such a person makes it difficult to notice disturbing behavior and does not allow to react in time.

However, there are situations, even quite frequent, when future suicides share their plans with others. We are talking here about the so-called suicide announcement. According to Ringiel, as many as 85% of future suicides share their suicide plans with other people.

In this way, such a person wants to draw the attention of the environment to his problems. It is a kind of cry for help, but unfortunately not always effective, because often such talk about plans to take your life is not taken seriously or is underestimated.

Even though a person with presuicidal syndrome wants to die and sees no other option to solve his problem, it does not mean that he cannot be helped by dissuading him from doing so. Remember that such a person is not objective in his considerations, and death is the only solution that comes to his mind to end his current life.

For this reason, everything should be done not only to prevent him from committing suicide, but also to change his unhappy life so far. So we have a duty to respond to signs of suicide and provide such a person in time.

The most important thing in all this is sincere support and conversation, but you need to know that the more advanced the presuicidal syndrome, the more specialized treatment it requires. The would-be suicide would receive the most professional help from a psychiatrist, so it is worth persuading him to visit his office. Before it's too late.

Presuicidal syndrome - suicides can be prevented

Since August 2016, an interdisciplinary Task Force for He althcare has been operating at the Public He alth Council of the Ministry of He alth. prevention of suicide and depression. As a result of his activities, a 24-hour Support Center for People in a State of Mental Crisis was launched, which is run by the ITAKA foundation.

You can contact the Support Center:

  • by phone: 800 70 2222 (the line is free, works 24/7)
  • via e-mail: tips @ support line
  • via chat via the website Linieawsparcia.pl

The website also offers a mobile application with a contact database of aid institutions, which helps people looking for help to obtain the information they need in a faster and easier way.

The possibility of mutual redirection of reports concerning mental crisis and the risk of suicide, received by the Emergency Notification Center (emergency telephone number 112) and the Support Center, was created. Work is underway to clarify the technical and content-related cooperation of these two alarm lines.

Each operator of 112 (1000 of them work in 17 voivodeship centers) also receives reports of suicide attempts. On average, each Emergency Notification Center receives 7-8 such reports a day.

Operators are prepared to interview a person who declares their will to take their own life, is in the process of doing so, witnesses suicide or has found a person who took his life.

However, the operators are not psychologists, they act ad hoc in life-threatening situations, maintaining the conversation until the assistance called by the operator (police, fire brigade, ambulance service) arrives on the spot.

The option of redirecting suicide reports to the Support Center creates an additional opportunity to provide the caller with help and extend it, because the telephone is provided by specialist psychologists, therapists, educators, psychiatrists, as well as social workers and lawyers who can support people professionally in a mental crisis, helping to solve their specific problems.

Why is an anonymous contact important?

People in a mental crisis often feel ashamed or afraid to talk about their difficulties or traumatic experiences, which may make it difficult to contact a specialist directly.

The advantage of contacting a specialist on a helpline line is the possibility of maintaining complete anonymity. In such a comfortable anda safe relationship with the interlocutor, a person in crisis often takes the first and most important step in seeking help for himself.

It is the contact person who decides when to ask for help, and importantly - can get support right away, without signing up and waiting for an appointment. Often, the first positive experiences in anonymous contact with a psychologist, the received understanding and support decide about further, already stationary contact with a specialist and starting treatment.

Where to go for help

112- emergency number in emergency, life-threatening situations, when it is necessary to intervene with the police, ambulance service or fire brigade

800 70 2222- 24-hour, free phone of the Support Center for people in mental crisis, depression and suicidal thoughts run by the ITAKA Foundation

116 111- Helpline for Children and Youth - you can call from 12.00 to 2.00 am from Monday to Sunday, run by the Empowering Children Foundation

800 100 100- telephone for Parents and Teachers regarding Child Safety, run by the Empowering Children Foundation (open Mon-Fri 12.00-15.00)

800 120 002- 24-hour, free telephone number of the National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence "Blue Line".

Websites where you can chat or send questions by e-mail:www.pokonackryzys.pl, www.liniawsparcia.pl

Don't ignore signals

The thought of suicide is not born overnight, it is the result of a long process. There is no single cause, usually it results from a number of problems that overlap and cause a growing feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, loss of sense of meaning, they are a source of depression (deterioration of the financial situation, chronic illness, mourning, breakdown of relationships, experience of violence).

Therefore, one should not ignore the casually thrown messages: "I think I'm going to kill myself", "it's time to die". It's a myth that whoever talks about suicide will never do so.

When we see that a loved one is overwhelmed by their problems, let's talk, persuade them to see a specialist or call the Support Center ourselves and find out where to look for help. And when we witness a suicide attempt, call the emergency number 112 immediately.

Category:

Psychiatry