Alert: We Can All Suffer from Suicidal Thoughts and Even Carry them out

BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|

It was recently shocking to see a 12-year-old boy committed suicide after being bullied at his school. This makes us think that suicidal thoughts are always there, but do we know how to control them to avoid acting on them?

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide, there were an estimated 1.38 million suicide attempts. Furthermore, the age-adjusted suicide rate in 2019 was 13.93 per 100,000 individuals, the rate is highest for middle-aged white men. Men in general died by suicide 3.63 times more often than women [1] 

On average in 2019, there were 130 suicides per day, of these, white males account for 69.38% of suicides. Firearms accounted for 50, or 39% of all suicides. 93% of adults surveyed in the U.S. think suicide can be prevented [2] .

As The National Institute of Mental Health (NHI) correctly mentions, it is necessary to differentiate between suicide, defined as “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior”; suicide attempt, “a non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior”. A suicide attempt might not result in injury. Suicidal ideation refers to thinking about, considering or planning suicide [3] .

Now, looking at all this information, we might wonder why people commit suicide. Well, according to Retreat Behavioral Health [4] , it happens because of four factors: Depression, which is the most common cause of suicide. Psychosis, “mental illnesses have been known to cause suicide through cognitive impairment. Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis that is often associated with suicidal tendencies”. Cry for Help, “when an individual suffering from internal or emotional pain, either cannot or does not alert others around them and will attempt suicide as a last resort”. Accidents, “this cause can be linked to substance abuse problems, and typically occurs to those suffering from an addiction”. Lastly, social isolation, which as its name indicates, leads the individual to experience loneliness.

If you are experiencing signs such as thinking about wanting to die or killing yourself, acting anxious or agitated, showing rage or thinking about seeking revenge, perhaps increasing the use of alcohol or drugs, experiencing extreme mood swings, among others, it is time you seek support to avoid at all cost making this irreversible decision [5] .

Therefore, we recommend four tips to help yourself or a friend who is suffering from this situation: Know the warning signs, such as those already mentioned; do not be afraid to talk to your friends; make no deals or pacts; and tell an adult or an expert [6] .

References

 [1]https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

 [2]https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

 [3]https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide

 [4]https://www.retreatbehavioralhealth.com/suicide/

 [5]https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/

 [6]https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/mental-health-resources/preventing-youth-suicide/save-a-friend-tips-for-teens-to-prevent-suicide

Leave a Reply