Suicide - 1 Suicide can be stigmatized or honoured, depending on cultural context and its apparent reasons. Those experiencing suicidal ideation, or thoughts about fatally harming one's self, may struggle to be heard and understood. The person feeling suicidal may often be made to feel rejected and guilty by those to whom they have confided their thoughts and feelings. Sufferers are sometimes wary of mental health professionals, as they may feel that they lack empathy or might accuse them of trying to hurt the feelings of friends or family. A person feeling suicidal may also wish to avoid being seen as making suicide 'threats', fearing that they might be seen as attempting to manipulate others. This may lead to situations where a person commits suicide without telling friends or family of how they felt.
Suicide - 2 Suicidal ideation can be described as a result from the experience of emotional pain outweighing the individual's coping strategies and resources for dealing with that pain. Some would claim that it can arise due to an individual's unwillingness to impose self-discipline and care about others more than him or herself; however, this idea ignores the ever-present emotional agony and feelings of immense hopelessness that many people with suicide ideology feel, and is sometimes used by family or others to instill shame or guilt in a person with suicidal thoughts, in order to avoid a suicide. It may work in some cases, but in others it may only cause a person to continue suffering for the sake of other people, without really addressing their own problems.
Suicide - 3 The perception of suicide is highly varied between the cultures, religions and legal and social systems of the world. It is considered a sin or immoral act in many religions, and a crime to help someone commit suicide in some countries. On the other hand, some cultures have viewed it as an honourable way to exit certain shameful or hopeless situations. Persons attempting or dying by suicide sometimes leave a suicide note. The definition of suicide used from this point on is that the death of the person who commits suicide must be the central component and only intention of the act, rather than a secondary consequence of an act which is centrally motivated by religion, politics, etc. (This definition excludes Suicide bombers from being suicides, since their intention is to kill other people in the first place.)
Suicide - 4 A suicide attack is an attack carried out on an enemy at the cost of the attacker's life. It is not suicide in the above mentioned sense. Martyrdom usually escapes religious or legal proscription. Generally, there are only legal consequences when there is death and proof of intent. However, not all follow this narrower definition. Certainly, a suicide bomber knows that death will be part of the outcome of his or her actions. Defined as above, acts of suicide are necessarily committed only by human beings. No other known healthy organism possesses both the will and the capability to intentionally terminate its own life for the sole sake of death. There is some dispute over this with cases being reported of dolphins in captivity bashing their heads against walls, or not coming up for air. Also, some unhealthy organisms may intentionally end their lives due to sickness.
Suicide - 6 No single factor has gained acceptance as a universal cause of suicide. However, depression is a common phenomenon amongst those who commit suicide. Other factors that may be related are as follows (Note that this is not meant as a comprehensive list, but rather as a summary of notable causes) : Pain (e.g. physical agony that is not correctable) Stress (e.g. Grief after a death) Crime (e.g. escaping judicial punishment) Mental illness and disability (e.g. depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, and schizophrenia) Catastrophic Injury (e.g. paralysis, disfigurement, loss of limb) Substance abuse Adverse environment (e.g. poverty, homelessness, discrimination, bullying/bullycide) Financial loss (e.g. gambling addiction, loss of job/assets, stock market crash, debts) Unresolved sexual issues (e.g. sexual orientation, unrequited love, aftermath of a break up) Copycat Reasons that may not fall under the strict definition of suicide as laid out above: Religion (e.g. suicide bombings, Heaven's Gate) Extreme nationalism (e.g. the Kamikaze, Selbstopfer, and Kaiten suicide weapons)
Suicide - 7 Modern medicine treats suicide as a mental health issue. Overwhelming suicidal thoughts are considered a medical emergency. Medical professionals advise that people who have expressed plans to kill themselves be encouraged to seek medical attention immediately. This is especially important if the means (weapons, drugs, or other methods) are available, or if the patient has crafted a detailed plan for executing the suicide. Special consideration is given to trained personnel to look for suicidal signs in patients. Depressive people are considered a high-risk group for suicidal behaviour. Suicide hotlines are widely available for people seeking help. However, the negative and often too clinical reception that many suicidal people receive after relating their feelings to health professionals (threats of institutionalization, simply increasing dosages of medication, the stigmatization of suicide as a topic of discussion, etc), often causes them to keep their suicidal thoughts to themselves.
Suicide - 8 Heroic suicide, for the greater good of others, is often celebrated. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike to prevent fighting between Hindus and Muslims, and, although he was stopped before dying, it appeared he would have willingly succumbed to starvation. For this, he earned the respect of many. In the 1960s, Buddhist monks, most notably Thích Quảng Đức, in South Vietnam drew Western attention to their protests against President Ngô Đình Diệm by burning themselves to death. Similar events were reported in eastern Europe, such as the death of Jan Palach following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, or Romas Kalanta self-immolition in main street of Kaunas, Lithuania in 1972. In wars, there have been numerous reports of combatants performing suicidal acts in order to save other soldiers. Not everybody would count all these actions as suicides, as the person's death was clearly not the primary purpose. Opponents argue that these people would probably achieve a comparable result by spending the rest of their lives in active struggle. Hunger strikes have frequently been used as a form of protest by incarcerated persons, and result in death where neither side in the strike gives way.
Suicide - 9 In the desperate final days of World War II, many Japanese pilots volunteered for kamikaze missions in an attempt to forestall defeat for the Empire. Similarly in Germany; Luftwaffe squadrons were formed to smash into American B-17s during daylight bombing missions, in order to delay the highly probable Allied victory. The degree to which such a pilot was engaging in an heroic, selfless action or whether they faced immense social pressure is a matter of historical debate. The Japanese also built one-man "human torpedo" suicide submarines. However, suicide has been fairly common in warfare throughout history. Soldiers and civilians committed suicide to avoid capture and slavery (including the wave of German and Japanese suicides in the last days of World War II). Commanders committed suicide rather than accept defeat. Behaviour that could be seen as suicidal occurred often in battle. For instance, soldiers under cannon fire at the Battle of Waterloo took fatal hits rather than duck and place their comrades in harm's way. The Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg in the US Civil War , and the charge of the French cavalry at Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War were assaults that continued even after it was obvious to participants that the attacks were unlikely to succeed and would probably be fatal to most of the attackers. Japanese infantrymen usually fought to the last man, launched "banzai" suicide charges, and committed suicide during the Pacific island battles in World War II. In Saipan, Okinawa, civilians joined in the suicides. Suicidal attacks by pilots were common in the 20th century: the attack by U.S. torpedo planes at the Battle of Midway was very similar to a kamikaze attack. Also, it could be argued that it is an action of military suicide to 'sit on a grenade', the action of throwing oneself onto a grenade, hoping to shield one's platoon from the shrapnel and/or explosion but most certainly losing one's own life in the process. This particular reference to suicide is also what leads to the everyday usage of the term when indicating a hopeless situation, often in business, such as "it would be suicide for us to go to market without a viable product."
Suicide - 10 There are arguments in favour of allowing an individual to choose between life and death. This view sees suicide as a valid option and a human right and argues that no being should be made to suffer unnecessarily. This view notes that suicide provides an escape from suffering in certain circumstances, such as incurable disease or mental illness, and old age. These theories are most commonly held in Continental Europe, where euthanasia and other such topics are discussed in parliament, and in some areas of the United States. This view rejects the belief that suicide is always or usually irrational, saying instead that it is a genuine, albeit severe, solution to real problems – a line of last resort that can legitimately be taken when the alternative is considered worse. On the other hand, a young and healthy person, free from any major trauma in their past, in their opinion free from any mental disorders, and with a future even regarded as bright by observers, can come to the decision that they don't find life rewarding and that they wish to end their experience then and there. This is usually met with a negative reaction, and these persons are often persuaded from their feelings and beliefs, while others choose to disregard such pressures. Those who ultimately kill themselves under these circumstances might argue that going to heaven, or the "peace of nothingness" that comes with death, is much more appealing than the experiences they expect to have in this world. They may feel too eager for this better state of (non)existence to wait, especially during modern times in which the human lifespan is progressively increasing. In the past, the Japanese were sometimes ordered by their superiors to commit seppuku, a form of ritual disembowelment suicide. This was expected as a matter of honour where staying alive committed a greater dishonour to their family, but in such cases functioned as execution or political assassination rather than genuinely deliberate suicide. They may also have done it as a matter of free choice, also for the sake of honour, and it was considered better than being taken prisoner. Achieving a placid indifference to life or death was considered a state of enlightenment in certain Buddhist traditions.
Suicide - 11 According to official statistics, about a million people commit suicide annually, more than those murdered or killed in war. As of 2001 in the USA, suicides outnumber homicides by 3 to 2 and deaths from AIDS by 2 to 1 Many theories have been developed to explain the causes of suicide with no strong consensus with one. Nevertheless, from the known suicides, certain trends are apparent.
Suicide - 12 Gender and suicide: In the Western world, males die much more often than females by suicide, while females attempt suicide more often. Some medical professionals believe this is due to the fact that males are more likely to end their life through violent means (guns, knives, hanging, drowning, etc.), while women primarily overdose on medications. Others ascribe the difference to inherent differences in male/female psychology, with men having more of an operational mindset and women being more aware of social nuance. In any case, violent suicide attempts are much more likely to be successful. Typically males die from suicide 3 to 4 times as often as females. Excess male mortality from suicide is also evident from data from non-western countries. In 1979-81, the number of countries with a non-zero suicide rate was 74. Two of these reported equal rates for the sexes: Seychelles and Kenya. Three countries reported female rates exceeding male rates: Papua-New Guinea, Macao, French Guiana. The remaining 69 countries had male suicide rates greater than female suicide rates. Barraclough found that the female rates of those aged 5-14 equaled or exceeded the male rates only in 14 countries, mainly in South America and Asia.
Suicide - 13 National suicide rates sometimes tend to be stable. For example, the 1975 rates for Australia, Denmark, England, France, Norway, and Switzerland, were within 3.0 per 100,000 of population from the 1875 rates (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1983; Lester, Patterns, 1996, p. 21). The rates in 1910-14 and in 1960 differed less than 2.5 per 100,000 of population in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England & Wales, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands (Lester, Patterns, 1996, p. 22). There are considerable differences between national suicide rates. Findings from two studies showed a range from 0.0 to more than 40 suicides per 100,000 of population. National suicide rates, apparently universally, show an upward secular trend. This trend has been well documented for European countries. The trend for national suicide rates to rise slowly over time might be an indirect result of the gradual reduction in deaths from other causes. Falling death rates from causes other than suicide uncover hidden suicide predisposition. This uncovering effect is due to suicide, up to now, not being preventable. Consistent with this interpretation, between 1971 and 1991, the Australian male suicide rate was rising while the overall mortality rate for Australian males was falling There is a common belief, especially in the US, that Sweden has a higher rate of suicide than other countries; this is actually a myth, as Sweden has an average suicide rate. The myth was probably started because the secular government of Sweden started to measure suicide statistics openly before other countries did. President Eisenhower saw this as a chance to promote his political ideology, and maintained that the statistics showed Sweden was the country of "free love, high taxes and suicide" (none of this was particularly true at the time). Also, the dark, relatively cold climate of Sweden in the winter has added fuel to this myth.
I think across most religions it is a sin, or the biggest mistake you can make by wasting your life by your own hands... Everyone has suicidal feelings...depends on how bad the situation is. When there is a problem there is always a solution. If you have friends/family, do use their help and ask for support. They won't turn you down...
i dont think that ppl should suicide, but i dont think that u can call someone who considers it stupid or cowardly either. u cant say these things unless u have been in the same situation. if ur friend wanted to suicide and came to u for help, would u call them stupid or cowardly? would that help prolong his/her life? it would help for u to listen and understand their problems, and try to come up with a solution instead of judging him/her. why not help find a reason to live instead of just telling them that it is a waste of life. ppl who want to suicide probably feel hopeless and that things will never change or get better, or there are other less obvious reasons. a lot of the teens that are "depressed" probably just want attention and attempt suicide. however there are those that are truly depressed and cannot find a reason to go on. i think that generally teens are young and naive, and they havent experienced all the hardships in life, and they give up because they havent been through enough difficult situations to learn that things can change and can get better. life is full of ups and downs. i think that there is always a reason to live, u just have to find a new one if u lost an old one. i hope this makes sense..
wow, u guyz thot of a lot of different circumstances where suicide might come into play... imo, a loss of a life is by no means a cue to celebrate, but i wouldnt condone it a sin or a cowardly act. most of all will hopefully never live under such duress or extreme circumstances, so i guess it's easy to look from the top and call others 'weak'. when everything u are living for is gone, it would take an incredibly strong soul to shoulder through.
well im ashamed of myself.....but i can accept pretty much anything.....i tried commiting suicide......and i aint gonna tell why or how...lol.....but this is what i came up with Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.
If there is a problem, there is always a solution. Sometimes it may take longer to resolve the problem or it may be a difficult task, but it is possible to get through it. Suicide is for quiters of life; people who r too chicken to deal with reality!
