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Suicides are people who intentionally try to take their own life. There are many reasons for suicide attempts. Suicides do not usually talk about their problems directly, which is why it is so difficult to help them and prevent suicide attempts. What most often causes suicidal thoughts and how to support people planning suicide?
Suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt and suicide – differences
When talking about suicidal thoughts, they cannot be equated with the actual suicide attempt or suicide. Many people with suicidal thoughts have never tried to take their own lives and will probably never take such a step. Among the suicides there are also people who have made multiple suicide attempts in their lives, which, however, never ended in death. A suicide doesn’t have to be planned. Some suicides plan the act of suicide for weeks, months, even years, but many of them decide to commit suicide on an impulse. Suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide and suicide, however, have one important issue in common, and that is mental disorders or mental illness. Each of the above is the result of mental disorders.
Suicides – causes of suicidal thoughts
Suicidal thoughts or the very fact of killing yourself can be caused by many factors. Specialists indicate three main directions that should be considered when suspecting suicidal tendencies, they are: sociological, biological and psychological factors.
Sociological factors:
- selfish suicide – this type of suicide is caused by the suicide’s distance from society;
- altruistic suicide – this type of suicide is caused by the suicide’s excessive attachment to cultural or social norms;
- alienating suicide – this type of suicide is caused by the suicide breaking away from social or cultural norms, e.g. in prison.
Biological factors:
- genetic factors – the risk of committing suicide increases in people who have relatives among those who have thoughts of suicide or have attempted suicide;
- neuronal disorders – if the levels of serotonin in neurotransmitters are low, the risk of suicidal thoughts increases significantly.
Psychological factors – psychological theories differentiate possible views on the act of suicide. Psychoanalytic researchers, for example, say that suicide results from the self-directed aggression that originally happened to someone or something else. According to these theories, suicides can dream of retaliation, punishing someone, fleeing, saving or being reborn. Suicidal thoughts in such people are intensified as a result of the loss of a loved one or heartbreak.
Suicides and types of suicides
Suicide is a complex concept in itself and encompasses various types of self-destructive acts. The most frequently mentioned types of suicide include:
- self-mutilation – involves long-term mutilation of your own body. It does not always lead to suicide, but can be fatal if left unchecked;
- suicide preceded by murder – is treated as a measure used before avoiding punishment for the committed act;
- group suicide – this is a type of suicide committed by a larger group of people. Suicide is for the same reasons, for example, religious;
- suicide attack – it is a suicide combined with an act of aggression, the aim of which is to inflict losses on the opponent;
- euthanasia – it is a conscious decision to end life in the case of a serious illness, and sometimes also deep suffering.
How can I prevent suicide attempts?
It is difficult to stop suicides from committing suicide because many of them never openly admit to their plans. However, if we are aware that a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, we should not ignore such signals. Such a person should be patiently listened to, supported and expressed understanding and acceptance of the emotions that haunt suicides. A person with suicidal thoughts should be persuaded to make an appointment with a specialist, as the conversation itself may not help much in this case. Support in such a situation is invaluable. It is worth accompanying such a person in making an appointment and on the way to this consultation. If, apart from suicidal thoughts, there are suicidal tendencies, a doctor should be called, who will eventually decide on hospital treatment.
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