Suicide across the globe
Suicide—Audio CASI
Research Questions
1. Associations
i. What is the association that exists between having a suicidal thought, number of times someone attempts to commit and any injuries that come as a result in the attempt?
ii. Is it true that if an individual has suicidal thoughts it means that one of their family member or friends is going through the same?
2. What is the chance that an individual can come out and talk honestly about their suicidal thoughts, attempts in regards to their family and friends?
Literature Review
Suicide means wanting to take your own life or thinking about suicide. In regards to suicide there are two types of suicidal thoughts that is passive and active. In passive thought an individual wishes they could die but they actually don’t have the plans to commit the act while in active an individual think about committing the act and plans how to do it. There are various causes of suicide, for instance social pressure, depression, illness, drug and substance abuse and loneliness just to mention a few causes
Loneliness
The feeling of being alone. Many people start feeling this when they join new workplaces, join universities or when they are facing a challenge in life and feel that no one is there for them. From research the feeling of being lonely grows for people who are introverted compared to extroverts. Introverts are loners who find it difficult to make friends and associate with others. The feeling also grows when an individual lacks the knowledge concerning the new work place, university setup and when they are going through challenges, they don’t know how they can solve.
Illness
This may affect the mental or physical wellness of an individual. Diseases such as HIV/AIDs, diabetes, epilepsy, hypes, STD, each of the above stated diseases have a potential of being fatal if not effectively treated and cared for. The need to constantly be under treatment could lead to seclusion and withdrawal from others to avoid discrimination. This may lead to depression as a result of the loneliness experiences and in turn could lead to suicidal tendency as a way out of the suffering being experienced.
Depression
Depression is a mood disorder that affects an individual’s feelings and adjustment to
how they feel. It does not mean that they do not feel but depressive feelings are often
time-based and can change without warning or thought process. This makes it
impossible to pinpoint which specific emotion can be identified as an emotion of
depression.
Depression has been identified as a major cause of suicide behaviour in the society.
Suicide behaviour among individuals across the world is a highly influenced by
depression as it hinders proper functioning and causes psychological distress
among university students.
Alcohol and substance use
Alcohol and substance abuse are amongst the greatest vice that is found within the
university compounds. Although alcohol is not illegal the manner in which alcohol is
taken within universities is an actual factor to worry about. On the other hand, drug
abuse is the use of substances that alters the mood, emotion, or state of consciousness of an
individual. Drugs are illegal compared to alcohol and therefore are not easily found. These
substances therefore are hidden and used with great deal.
According to Sher L, (2005) Individuals with alcohol dependence who complete suicide
are characterized by major depressive episodes, stressful life events, particularly
interpersonal difficulties, poor social support, living alone, high aggression/impulsivity,
negative affect, hopelessness, severe alcoholism, comorbid substance (especially
cocaine) abuse, serious medical illness, suicidal communication, and prior suicidal
behaviour.
Challenges faced to come out and speak about suicide
In the united states, the rate of people committing suicide has increased by 30% according to the data released by centers for disease control and prevention, from the data released it is the tenth leading cause of death in the country.
Some studies have supported this belief, to a degree. In one study conducted in London health clinics, a quarter of family doctors and a fifth of patients believed that asking people about suicidal thoughts could induce ideas of self-harm. This may be a minority only, but this belief is worth examining in more detail because it means that many people avoid the subject – which could prevent desperate people from discussing their feelings, not to mention pursuing other options or getting help.
Hypothesis
From the discussion above it is noted that suicide is an issue that id coming up very fast and if not taken care of so many people may end up being mistaken for committing suicide. From the first question of the research there is a possibility that for one to come up with a suicidal thought its because they are having temporary feelings. From the first research question there is a probability that the number of times someone has suicidal thought there is an equal chance of attempting the act and an equal chance of having physical injuries.
In a family that has a suicide history there is also a great chance that an individual may commit the act. In addition, people that come out and talk about suicide may not reveal the actual reason for wanting to commit the act because they fear of being stigmatized and people judging them. The fear is mainly associated with depression and can lead to further damage of the individual mental health.
References
Barlow and Durand (2012). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach (6th Ed.). USA:
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Beautrais, A. L. (2004). Suicide Post-vention - Support for Families, Whānau and
Significant Others after a Suicide: A literature review and synthesis of evidence
Retrieved. From
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/0/8BB9192555C20FCCCC2570A800074A2E/$File/ber
eavedbysuicide-litreview.pdf
Ndetei, D. (2011). Suicide in Africa. Radio interview by Radio Netherlands RNW. Available
at: www.africamentalhealthfoundation.org
Nganga M., (2012), Recognizing suicidal tendencies, Business Daily, Nairobi.
