For this assignment, I'd like you to read the following links on suicide behavior.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/suicide/DS01062
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/suicide/MH00054
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/suicide/MH00058
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/suicide/MH00048
One more of your choosing (provide link).
Next, write a summary of what you learned plus your opinions and insight on this topic.
Here are some questions to consider if you are having trouble getting started: What were you most surprised about in your reading? What are you most interested in? What is your evaluation of the quality of the resources you read? Can suicide be conceptualized as violent behavior? Why or why not?
http://www.sprc.org/ - This is the additional website I reviewed for this topic blog. I was very impressed with the amount of information regarding suicide prevention that was readily available on this website. I have overlooked the differing services that may be available to tribes. I also felt the website offered many opportunities and guidance for how to begin suicide prevention programs. The links and availability of resources will be very beneficial now that I have reviewed this website. The website offers webinar trainings, which I have found to be very helpful as well. I was also impressed that the website gave direction for funding opportunities to begin suicide prevention programs and was very specific regarding even starting suicide prevention programs on college campuses. I thought it was particularly helpful that they identified the different needs based on the population you are trying to focus on.
The Mayo Clinic articles were also interesting. Again I am relieved to read that most of our readings regarding suicide and suicide prevention/intervention, etc. have been very consistent. I believe these resources could be beneficial to anyone in the situation and are not just focused on the individuals in the field or those providing direct practice. Overall, the articles appear to be a very benefical and resourceful resource.
I feel that the articles give hope to individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts. They appear to provide a great deal of understanding and encouragement. The articles also provide beneficial recommendations on steps to take to prevent suicide. The sections on coping skills was very beneficial, I particularly thought the suggestion for a list of contacts would be very benefical. Not only would this coping skill provide support for the individual, but would also give them a concrete list to look at of individuals who care about them and are willing to help which may decrease the amount of hopelessness they are feeling. In the section regarding "making a plan" I did not feel it was as beneficial. In my experience the "safety contracts" do not appear very productive for my clients. I believe they will agree to them to satisfy others, but many of the other coping skills listed and encouraged appear to be more useful and realistic. Another aspect of the "make a plan" section referred to being more proactive about your thoughts and feelings. I specifically felt that encouarging individuals to make a list of activities when they believe negative thoughts are starting could be very beneficial. I feel that this encourages individuals to be more self aware and identify triggers that may lead up to the hopeless and suicidal feelings. I feel that this approach can be much more effective for individuals.
The other issue I wanted to comment on was the section that identified the Grief process for individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide. I believe this is often an aspect of suicide that can be overlooked and there is significantly less programs focused on this issue. I have witnessed families going through this process and it can at times be as devestating as the suicide. I think it is much more difficult for these individuals to know when to seek professional help. I believe that they are able to identify obvious triggers, but the less obvious ones tend to be overlooked and can in the long run cause significant emotional distress.
According to the Suicide.org website in 2005, there was a suicide every 16 minutes on average in the United States. It's pretty startling when you put it in statistics like that.
The website also broke down suicide rates in several different categories. Such as, men are more likely to commit suicide. Their method of choice is a firearm (57% of male suicides are committed with a firearm). The method of suicide that women usually opt for is poisoning (39%). One explanation for the differences in method (courtesy of my Criminal Investigation's course) is that women tend to prefer over-dosing (or poisoning) because of vanity reasons (using a firearm could disfigure their appearance). I'm not sure that I entirely buy into this explanation. I tend to think of several alternative explanations that may be better suited for the difference in methods. One being that men typically have more access or are more proficient in using firearms thus it makes sense that they would opt for something they would feel more competent with to be successful. Another explanation is that women tend to be more passive while men are more aggressive. Putting it in the perspective of suicide methods, firearms are viewed as a more aggressive weapon which is why a man may chose to commit suicide with it. On the other hand, over-dosing or poisoning could be viewed as a more passive way to commit suicide which, again, would fit with a woman being more passive.
Here are some other statistics that Suicide.org provided:
1.3% of all deaths are from suicide.
Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds.
(1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide)
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 25-34 year olds.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.
More males die from suicide than females.
(4 male deaths by suicide for each female death by suicide.)
More people die from suicide than from homicide.
(Suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death; Homicide ranks 13th.)
There were over 800,000 suicide attempts in 2005
(http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html)
All of these statistics seem pretty shocking. Especially the statistic about more people die from suicide than homicide.
Another surprising statistic provided by Suicide.org was a break down in region and suicide rates. In both 2001 and 2005 the western region of the United States had the highest suicide rate. Which makes me wonder what it is about the geographic location that would increase their rates?
The Mayo clinic websites also had a few pieces of information that stood out to me. The major one was that some physical health problems could be linked to suicide. Which at first sounds doesn't sound that surprising because you associate it with terminal patients who commit suicide so that they prevent the pain and agony that they will endure later on. However, the Mayo clinic was listing other health problems like Thyroid disease, Inflammatory bowel disease, Lupus, and Wilson's disease. Upon further research, I discovered that all these diseases listed depression as a symptom. In particular, Wilson's disease (which is a disease that affects your body's ability to metabolize and eliminate excess copper in your diet) can affect areas of your brain which could make you think and behave in ways you wouldn't normally. Even though I have heard of illnesses affecting mood and behavior, for some reason suicide isn't really something I ever thought about in that context. To me, suicide is something that is brought on by one's own interpretation of their world. I never thought about it in a context where their interpretation of the world could be skewed due to physical illnesses.
Another piece of information that stood out to me was that people taking antidepressants had an increased risk of suicide for the first two months of taking the medication. I've heard of this before and it has always made me wonder whether this is due to the changes occurring chemically or whether it's due to the negative connotation that is associated with taking antidepressants which in turn makes the person feel worse about having to take them. Another thought I had was that the antidepressants may also contribute to the increase of risk because the person may essentially feel as though they have been given the necessary means to complete what they have been contemplating (even though that is not the intent of the psychiatrist).
The material included in these articles and the additional website outlines the definition of suicide, symptoms of suicide, causes of suicide, what to do/how to get help if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, how to prepare for an appointment, and how to heal after someone you know commits suicide. Overall, I thought the articles were very informative and helpful for people who are dealing with suicide in one form or another. One thing that I really liked about the articles and the website I looked at were that all of them seemed to be understanding and caring about people who are thinking about committing suicide. I think people are more likely to want to read material that doesn’t make it seem like the author is judgmental of the situation. Something else I found interesting was there may be a genetic link to suicide. According to the Mayo article, “people who complete suicide or who have suicidal thoughts or behavior are more likely to have a family history of suicide”. Research suggests that there may be a genetic link to impulsive behaviors which could lead someone to commit suicide. I also found the possible link between antidepressants and suicidal thinking interesting and how taking antidepressants may increase risk of suicide; however, at the same time, research suggests that not taking antidepressants when needed also increases the risk of suicide.
The website also provided links and phone numbers to various websites and health care providers for people who are having suicidal thoughts. For example, this website for the American Association of Suicidology http://www.suicidology.org. was very interesting to browse through. The mission of this organization is to understand and prevent suicide. AAS offers webinars as one way of offering training to those who are interesting in joining or would like to know more about suicidology as well as training for professionals in a variety of settings (e.g., school settings as a suicide prevention specialist). One thing about this site in particular that I found interesting was that it included a link called ‘Suicide Attempt Survivors’ which included personal stories from people who have attempted suicide as well as brochures and other information on suicide, self-harm, and support services. Overall, the AAS is focused on prevention, intervention, research, education, and training.
One particular point that I think it very important for people to understand is that everyone should take signs of suicidal behavior seriously. I know that many times, warning signs are not always the easiest things to notice and in some case people had absolutely no idea their friend or loved one had suicidal thoughts. A ‘friend’ of my roommates would continuously call her and talk about how he didn’t feel like living anymore and about how much his life sucked and how depressed he was. He would then ask her to come over and ‘comfort’ him in a tone that suggested to her that he only wanted to sleep with her. My roommate just thought he wanted to sleep with her and was using a sick, twisted way to try to get her to come over. After about a week of him calling her every day, she decided the situation might actually be serious so she called up his parents and told them their son was having suicidal thoughts and they should get him to seek help. She eventually heard back that indeed this ‘friend’ was having major depression issues and was seriously considering suicide. Had my roommate left this situation alone, who knows what would have happened.
After reading more about suicide, I thought back to a time when I was in middle school (7th grade) when my church youth group went to visit a funeral home. We were taken on a tour of the entire place minus the basement where preparations to the body are made. I remember we were in the room where samples of caskets, flower arrangements, and service programs where hanging on the walls or sitting on small tables. One of my friends, Kourtney, and I were checking out this stuff and making comments on what looked nice and interesting. At one point, Kourtney started making comments about which particular casket she wanted to be buried in and what flower arrangement and program she wanted. She was pretty much outlining exactly what she wanted for her funeral. That night I didn’t really think anything of what she said, but a couple days later I began to feel really uncomfortable about the conversation we had. At school, I approached Kourtney and asked her if she was okay as I referred to the conversation at the funeral home. She said it was nothing and she didn’t mean anything by it, but I still felt I needed to tell someone else about what she had said. I told my mom, who was a teacher at my school, and she talked to our school counselor about it as well—this was on a Friday. Starting on Monday, Kourtney didn’t come to school for a couple days and my friends and I were getting worried that something may have happened to her. I eventually found out she was receiving help from a specialist and counselor for having suicidal thoughts. In my lit class, we would journal every Friday about whatever we wanted to, and apparently the same Friday I had talked to my mom, Kourtney had written about having suicidal thoughts which of course my teacher had read and acted upon immediately. Kourtney got the help she needed immediately otherwise I don’t know if she’d be here today. It wasn’t until years later in high school that Kourtney told me that she had been trying to reach out for help that night at the funeral home and she was happy that I took notice and in a way helped her. Besides the conversation at the funeral home, Kourtney showed no other behaviors that I could see that would have indicated her having suicidal thoughts.
My chosen article: http://www.medicinenet.com/suicide/article.htm
The link that I used to gather more insight and information on suicide was: http://www.suicidehelp.ca/SIES_Adult_AboutUs.html
This Canadian website is Suicide Information and Education Services non-profit organization whose goal is to educate and help prevent suicide in people of all ages. I like how this website had both a “youth” and “adult” section providing a plethora of information on suicide statistics, prevention, how to cope, in addition to signs to look for if you think someone is contemplating suicide. My favorite link on this particular website was the “Myths” link in the adult section of the website. It lists a number of suicide myths including one pertaining to a “genetic” component a classmate mentioned in one of their comments. According to this myth, people who are related to someone who has committed suicide is more likely to commit suicide. Myth # 7 on the website states that: “A tendency to have thoughts of suicide is inherited”. As we all know, this is false: “There is no evidence that there is a suicide “gene” that can be passed on, however in some cases, suicide is modeled as a way of coping…” Therefore, unlike aggressive behavior, where individuals (even those that are adopted and raised in a good environment) are more likely to display criminal behavior if their parent(s) have done so, there is no biological component of suicide.
One of the most interesting tidbit of information on the website concerns the use of anti-depressants and how their use can in fact lead to suicide. According to this website, it wasn’t until a year after certain anti-depressants were on the market that the public was informed that use of these medications can actually lead to higher rates of suicide, particularly in the youth population. Anti-depressants such as Effexor, Luvox, Paxil, and Prozac have been shown to increase suicidal tendencies among the youth population. In light of this new evidence, the British went so far as to ban the use of most anti-depressants for children. Given that this website has some information that is a little outdated, I’m not sure if this is still the case. I’m not sure if anti-depressants are the only medications that cause increases in depression and suicide. Over Christmas break my little brother and I were talking about ADHD, how often it is misdiagnosed, and how doctors just like to overmedicate children. Both my brother and sister have ADHD and both have mentioned to me how they would feel like zombies, as they put it, and how it made them feel sick. My brother however mentioned that at one point, he was having thoughts of killing himself. My heart sank and I was shocked. I asked him if he was still taking that medication or any other medication for that matter and he said no. I also asked him if he still felt that way and he said no. It had been 3-4 years since this happened and he no longer takes medication for ADHD. When I asked him why he hadn’t told anybody about it, he said since the doctor prescribed it, he didn’t think anyone was going to believe him. It made me so sad that my baby brother had gone through that and I wasn’t there to protect him. It frightens me to know that there are thousands, if not millions of children who are currently being over-diagnosed and over medicated with such dangerous chemicals that can potentially lead them to commit suicide. I think this highlights the importance of listening to your children and watching out for signs of increased depression and/or suicidal ideations, especially if they are currently taking prescription meds…
Another myth provided by the website I read was that: “After a serious bout of depression, a swift improvement in emotional state means lessened risk of suicide.” This particular myth reminded me of what my mentor in undergrad taught us one day: The risk of suicide actually INCREASES when depressed individuals seem to be doing better and not when a person can’t even get out of bed for instance. He said that this is because it actually takes energy to commit suicide.
As far as the information provided by the Mayo Clinic, Alyssa made an interesting point. The information was presented in a very sensitive manner. They didn’t just say something like: “suicide is bad…if you feel sad and want to kill yourself, call 911.” Instead they provide readers with advice on what to do if you’re having suicidal thoughts, encouraging people to reach out to a friend or a loved one, as well as letting them know that their problems will get better, etc. It’s always a good idea to remind people that no matter how bad their problems are, suicide is not the answer, there are other options. As my grandma always says: “the only thing in life that doesn’t have a solution is death”.
These websites produced by Mayo Clinic are very informative. I was surprised by a few pieces of information on the website. I thought it was interesting that there are physical/health causes of suicide like Thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Lupus, and Wilson's disease. After reading this, it does make sense that a physical ailment can cause emotional dysfunction, but I never really think of this being a cause of suicide. Another interesting cause of suicide mentioned by Mayo Clinic is prescription OR over-the-counter drugs. Most people are aware some prescription drugs have risks of suicide, but are people aware that some over-the-counter drugs can have suicidal risks as well? I was not aware of this. This fact is good to include in informational resources because some people may not think about mentioning over-the-counter drugs to their physician as a possible cause of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
I thought Mayo Clinic’s discussion of what to do if someone is suicidal was very important to include in their informational website. As a friend, family member, or even just an acquaintance, it can be difficult to know the right way to handle a suicidal situation. The segment on coping after a loved one commits suicide could also be helpful to those who have experienced the death of a loved one. This makes this website a resource for all people affected by suicide, not only those thinking about suicide.
I am most interested in the causes of suicidal behavior, specifically the different mental disorders that can lead to suicidal behavior and thoughts and how substance abuse can lead to suicidal behavior and thoughts. It is especially important to understand the causes for each individual in order to provide effective treatment. I also think the causes of adolescent suicide are interesting. Mayo Clinic listed adolescent causes as: history of physical or sexual abuse, problems with alcohol or drugs, becoming pregnant, having a sexually transmitted disease, being the victim of bullying, and being homosexual. I thought it was interesting how all of these causes are developmental and momentary life occurrences.
I think conceptualizing suicide as violent behavior is a bit more of a problem than with self-harm behavior. One would seem to think it should be classified in the same orientation, but there are differences. One is individuals who self-harm are doing the behavior to feel pain in order to feel emotion; those who are thinking or committing suicide are doing behavior that will end their life and existence. Suicide is of higher intensity. Can suicide be classified as violent? I believe it can only if it is in an individualized category. The ways in which suicide needs to be handled are far different from the ways someone inflicting violence on another needs to be handled. As I stated in my self-harm blog, I do believe these behaviors can be considered violent. It is a violent act towards oneself. Many hesitate to consider an act violent if it is done upon our own body, but the same intent is there; to hurt ourselves or another.
The website I chose to browse through is http://www.afsp.org/. It is the American Foudation for Suicide Prevention. I chose this website because it contains abundant research on the causes and prevention of suicide as well as gives ample information about suicide causes, risks, coping, and advocacy. It is a great website to look through, and it also gives links to other organizations and programs that would be helpful to those learning about suicide, suffering from suicidal thoughts, or those coping with a loss as a result of suicide.
I still remember the phone call my dad received when he found out his older brother had killed himself. Our family hasn't been the same ever since. Suicide is a very serious topic and I am glad we are covering it in class. Suicide is especially violent in nature because it is the most severe form of self-harm someone can do. Suicide is just as bad as murder, if not worse since the person killed themself.
The websites we were asked to look at for this assignment were very informative. I looked at the list of warning signs, or symptoms as the website put it, on the MayoClinic website and I sadly knew most of them. However, the one that suprised me the most was when they listed personality changes and used the example of becoming very outgoing after being very shy. I can see the reverse as being a warning sign of suicide, but becoming outgoing after being shy? I had always thought people at risk for suicide would be more withdrawn from society and start isolating themselves from loved ones they had previously confided in.
I really liked the list of how to prevent suicide that they had provided on the website. In fact, I wish I would have thought of this sooner in some cases. Even though most of the ways to prevent suicide seem like they could be common knowledge, it is incredibly hard to get people to talk to someone about the fear that they may commit suicide. The most important item, I feel, on the list of prevention is to establish a support network. Not only will it make it easier to talk to the person, but it will also make anyone who is thinking about committing suicide know that they are not alone and have a lot of people around them that value their life and presence. Of course, the best way to prevent suicide is to know the symptoms.
The second link, I feel, is also very important. Again, most of this may seem like common knowledge, but when thoughts of suicide consume you, it would be nice to have some prevention techniques that you can implement right at your fingertips. I also thought the advice of having a plan in order was very crucial. By having a plan on how to distract yourself when you are overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts, you can more easily overcome them. Also, I feel that surrounding yourself with people is also a good idea if you are considering suicide. From what I have noticed, a lot of people commit suicide because they feel they have nowhere and no one to turn to. If you surround yourself with people, it is easy to see that there are people in the world that care about you and you are an important person to a lot of different people. I have personally seen just how many people can be affected simply because one person died. It changes pratcially everything.
It was also nice to learn about the different coping strategies people can adopt if they have a loved one that took their life. If I would have known about this website, I would have shown it to my family after my uncle's suicide many years ago. The most important advice, in my opinion, that the MayoClinic website gave was to grieve in your own way. Everyone expresses emotions in a different way. Because of this, people should be able to feel comfortable enough to grieve in their own way even if it may not be conventional. Men should not be afraid to cry if they feel sad and, conversely, no one should feel guilty or ashamed if they are unable to produce tears and, instead, keep themselves busy 24/7 to distract themselves from painful memories.
I think the advice to be prepared for painful reminders is also important. Unfortunately, if a loved one commits suicide, life has to go on. It is not healthy to stop living your life the way you typically would because of your grief. Therefore, it is best to keep in mind that there will be hard times. And, when birthdays and anniversaries role around, it is important to press on and keep moving on with your life. The person will always be important and dear to you and, if necessary, MayoClinic suggests altering family plans if it is too painful to continue them due to a suicide in the family. If you prepare yourselves for these painful reminders, you can stay strong and make it through the hard times.
I found the website http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/default.aspx.
More specifically, I looked at this page: http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/AskIt/Pages/Suicide.aspx
This website, even from first glance, is incredible. It is mainly centered on people getting relationship advice as far as family and school life, however there is a wonderful message board for people that are thinking about committing suicide. They tell their stories in a private manner and crisis counselors can actually reply to them and talk to them. It also gives links and support group information that people can utilize if they need any more help. People have also posted success stories and thank you notes for the help they have gotten through this website. Not only was this website fantastic for what we are currently talking about, but I think it can be used even later in the course when we talk about group and gang violence. I also plan on using it for information abut school bullying. This website is run by the Boys Town National Hotline.
The material in the readings contained information on suicide in general, suicidal thoughts such as considering suicide, what to do when someone you know is suicidal, and how to cope with your emotions when someone you know does commit suicide. I thought that all of these sites were helpful, and for the most part interesting. What surprised me the most about the reading was all the support being done for the individual that is considering suicide. The website seemed to be really caring about both the people considering suicide, and the people who are healing from having a loved home commit suicide. The website offered many coping strategies for the people suffering, such as reminding them that there are going to be triggers reminding them of their loved one like holidays and anniversaries. Also, the website featured a section on bracing yourself for powerful emotions such as guilt, shock, anger, and despair. I think that the person will expect to experience some emotions, but the reading seem to encourage them to expect them, and to face them head on, which I believe is a positive way of dealing with your emotions.
The section of the readings that I am most interested in would be the section explaining what to do when someone is suicidal. This pertains to me in more ways than one. I have not actually known anyone that was suicidal and actually went through with it, but I am friends with many people who have experienced it. For example, while attending Iowa Central in Fort Dodge from 2007-2009, I was affected by the unusual number of suicides in the area. Off of the top of my head I can name off 6 people that committed suicide during my two years there, and that’s not even counting the people that I didn’t know. I was friends with a lot of the people who grew up in Fort Dodge and the surrounding areas, so I heard about them and tried to help my friends cope. If my friends and the victim’s families would be able to see the signs and would have known some of ways to predict whether or not they were suicidal. The warning signs mentioned such as abusing alcohol and drugs, dramatic mood swings, etc would maybe have helped the victim’s loved ones. Also, the coping section would have been helpful for my friends and their victim’s families.
After reading through these readings, I think I believe that suicide is not necessarily a type of violence. The people who do commit suicide seem to be extremely depressed, and I believe that they are trying to make their voice heard even though the way they went about it was committing suicide, which is final. The people that I have known that have committed suicide were not violent people, and many of them kept quiet and appeared to be happy. Even though I do believe that suicide is a violent act to oneself, I do not believe that suicidal people try to cause suffering, or violence with their loved ones and the people affected by their suicide.
I think the thing that surprised me most was that men are more likely to commit suicide than women. The Mayo Clinic articles said that was because men were more likely to use a violent means (translate: gun) where women were more likely to be passive (take pills). That makes sense to me. By reading my own source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide) I found that over 60% of suicides in the U.S. are caused by firearms. I was also surprised that suicide is more of a cause of death than homicide is - at least in the U.S. People always talk about the homicide rate, but the suicide rate is worse! Another thing about the Wikipedia site that I liked was that it listed and explained the different kinds of suicide. There's individual suicide, mass suicide, assisted suicide, murder-suicide, etc. etc. They also talked about how most religions discourage suicide, which fit in with Mayo Clinic's posts about finding support and possibly some help in a religious center. Overall, the sources all seemed to agree with each other pretty well. Both talked about how alcohol and drugs were risk factors, as are certain mental disorders like depression and bipolar. Both seemed to do a good job of outlining what a problem it is, though they did it differently. Wikipedia went at it from a statistic point of view and Mayo Clinic went at it from a human suffering point of view. On a minor side note, when I typed suicide into the search box, the national suicide prevention hotline number came up. I thought that was great to have at the very top.
I do believe that suicide can be considered violent behavior. First of all, most suicides are done in a violent way - over half are with guns. Second, suicide is murder, and murder is studied in all violence-related classes. Just because someone is killing themselves doesn't mean it's not murder and that it isn't violent. Not only that, but some suicidual people engage in "suicide by cop" where they have someone else (a cop, in this case) shoot them. Others will commit horrible acts of violence before they commit suicide (kamikize pilots, the Sept. 11 hijackers, Columbine, etc.). These people don't just want to die, they want others to as well. I'm NOT saying this is true about all suicides, or even a majority of them. I'm just linking suicide to other violent behavior. We may not study it like that other violent behavior, but I think it's important to study it as a violent behavior.
Thinking about suicide is definitely a scary thing. I have never looked at suicide from a suicidal person’s point of view, which is what most of these links we’re for. Much of the information on the Mayo Clinic’s website were directed towards someone who was thinking about suicide or someone who knows someone who is seriously thinking of suicide. I think that this information would be very helpful for them, as many times these people have no one to turn to. I think that the best information was in the section that gave instructions on what to do if you think someone you know is suicidal. I’m sure that suspecting that someone close to you is suicidal is a very difficult and emotional time, so it’s good to know that there are resources available to help people through it.
A good friend of mine was struggling with some of these issues with her teenage daughter not too long ago. She discovered that her daughter had been cutting her wrists to deal with some of the major changes in her life that she was experiencing at the time. While we have discussed cutting and suicide as two separate issues, my friend’s daughter was also thinking about suicide. While the teen said she never would have actually gone through with killing herself, she did have a very detailed plan to kill herself if she ever felt ready. In addition to the drama of her suicidal plan, the plan itself was extremely morbid and disturbing (she had individual notes written to each of her family members, leaving each of them one of her body parts to remember her by). While the teen was sent to various psychologists and therapy sessions, the rest of her family has had a lot of difficulty dealing with the fact that someone so close to them was having such unsettling thoughts.
While I wanted to help my friend in any way that I could, I wasn’t sure how to console her. With such and emotional issue, it’s hard to know what someone wants or needs to hear. I think that sites like the Mayo Clinic site have a great purpose behind them, and I hope that many people are able to utilize them in positive ways. I think that the most helpful part of the site is the section that describes how to offer support to someone who is suicidal, as I think it is something that scares many people and it can be a very confusing issue to handle. I think that the site provides really good advice, and it’s important to note that you should tell the person that they need professional help and that you should take all precautions in ridding the person of anything that they may be able to use to kill themselves.
I found a really cool website that tells stories of those who have gotten past suicidal periods in their lives. There are a number of voice messages from those who have survived their suicide attempts and are urging others who feel that way to call for help. Even though the site is endorsed by Dr. Phil (who I feel doesn’t represent the field of psychology very well) I still really like the general idea of the site.
http://www.lifeline-gallery.org/Default.aspx
Another really great site that I found was a direct letter to anyone who is feeling suicidal. It provides reasons to overcome the pain that people are feeling, as well as reasons that people may be feeling that pain. I think it’s really important that it includes reasoning behind why people are struggling with suicide, as it gives a source of understanding and a way to connect with the reader. The site talks about the verbal “life contracts” that we talked about in class, as well as how to deal with family and friends who are worried about you and don’t know how to help.
http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
I think that, like cutting, the aspect of suicide can be controversial when talking about whether or not it can be considered violent. In my opinion, both of these should be considered violent. When we were discussing cutting in class, I thought that a very interesting point that came up was the idea that looking at these as violent acts provides both a victim and a perpetrator in one person. I think that this is the main reason why it is so hard to choose whether or not we should categorize self harm behaviors as violent or not. I think that the main thing to consider when deciding the whether or not these behaviors are violent or not is the fact that it is purposeful harm or injury to someone, even if that someone is yourself.
One thing that I found interesting is that there may be a genetic link to it. Then I thought about it and it makes sense. Suicide is highly associated with depression and depression and depression causing disorders are genetically linked. I think this may be a very important aspect for parents or other family. If they know someone in the family has committed suicide, maybe extra attention should be paid to family members who exhibit some of the signs of being suicidal. Something else that surprised me is that one of the risk factors is being a man aged 65 or older. I didn’t know that was a group that had a high suicide rate. When I think about suicide, I usually think younger but that may just be because of personal experience. The only people I know who have committed suicide or have seriously considered it have been my age or a little younger.
There is some information on antidepressants and suicide. This is interesting to me. The risks and benefits are contradictory. However, I have seen a suicidal friend be helped immensely by antidepressants. I think it depends on individual state and a good assessment of the person’s mental condition.
I really like the parts of the sites that talk to the suicidal person. They may not know what to do in the situation they are in and these sites could save lives. I also like the parts directed at loved ones of a person who is suicidal. They explain what to do and say to the person to help instead of saying or doing something that could possibly make the situation worse.
The warning signs could be very helpful for loved ones of someone who is depressed or has other disorders like psychosis. If you know what to look for or notice, you could help that person to avoid suicide and get professional help.
I also think the link to coping with a loved one’s suicide is very important. It can be really shocking and difficult to handle this. I like the tips and advice that is given for these people. I really didn’t know there was so much information to the people directly influenced by suicide. I think these are really good resources and they have potential to be very helpful and even save lives.
Unfortunately, I have had to research how to help someone who is suicidal but fortunately she was able to get the help she needed. One of my best friends was very obviously suicidal. Not only to me but her ex-boyfriend and roommate noticed it too. I’m not the one who ended up directly getting her help but it was her ex. He had researched (online) the warning signs and what to do also. I think because of this, he was able to get her help in a safe and effective way. These resources are very useful and important.
I really don’t see suicide as violent. I think because I understand it so well I just cannot see it that way. I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to diminish the seriousness of the topic but suicide is usually not meant to be violent. I understand that if it were done to someone else, it would be murder but suicide is so much different. The reasons for suicide do not include hurting someone else, in fact, that thought might even deter one from committing suicide. The reason is to end your life because you see no reason to live anymore. If someone is suicidal, they just feel like they can’t deal with their life anymore and that nothing will get better if they do continue to live. Most of our society doesn’t call putting a sick animal to sleep violent, we call it putting them out of their misery or ending their suffering. Suicide is a way of ending your own suffering. Don’t get me wrong. I do not in any way support or condone suicide. I just understand that it is not meant by the individual to be violent. If you don’t understand suicide, it may be easy to call it violent. Some may compare it to murder. I do not see it like that and I think that if you truly understand why people commit suicide, it’s hard to call it violent. I think to others, an act of suicide may seem violent but to the one who committed suicide, they probably did not view it that way.
Just the same as the Mayo Clinic pages on self harm, I think that it is approached as a medical condition. Symptoms are listed, as well as general "get help" ideas and coping strategies. It is difficult to approach suicide and suicidal thoughts from a website, rather than on a personal level. It is a great approach in that it uses help ideas that a mental health professional may also use, such as a safety contract and separating emotions from behaviors. I think the pages about how to help others who may be suicidal and how to cope after the suicide of a loved one are great. Many times, the loved ones of a suicidal individual may feel helpless and powerless. It is important to help them understand that there are things they can do to help their loved one or cope with the loss.
I believe that this website is very credible and accurate. I also think that it can be a great help in aiding those who need information on suicide, either for themselves or for loved ones. Most of these pages state general coping mechanisms, but also say "seek help from a doctor or mental health professional." Sometimes, people may not have access to that type of help. I think it would be beneficial to include resources for those who have limited resources available.
What I found most interesting is the coping strategies that are given. Many of them are very smart, such as finding activities to do when negative thoughts arise, hiding harmful objects, refraining from substance abuse, and talking to friends or family. Many of these same ideas would be given by a mental health professional.
I also found this website that gives help to those who may be suicidal. It discusses an interesting topic that suicidal thoughts are sometimes accompanied by homicidal thoughts, or thoughts of killing or injuring others. In these cases, I would consider suicide as violent. the intent is to directly inflict serious harm, or even death, to oneself or others.
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=443&cn=9
Generally suicidal individuals often are suicidal due to depression, feeling of failure, great loss, or other mental disorders that are not the individual's desire or fault. In these cases, I would not consider suicide as violent. Much like self harm, the intent is not to inflict pain. Many suicides occur quickly, such as a gunshot to the head or carbon monoxide poisoning, because the individual wants to avoid pain. Again, the one inflicting the harm is also the one receiving the same harm. Suicide seems the easiest way out of life's difficulties and tragedies to many. They simply wish to relieve themselves of pain, whether it be physical or emotional. The pain in their lives seems so unbearable to them that death would be a more comfortable way to go.
It is important to help suicidal individuals understand that death is not the best way out and that there are ways to prevent it and cope with life's obstacles and difficulties. This is why many suicide help lines exist, as well as other non-profit organizations that strive to help suicidal individuals.
Suicide is definitely not something to take lightly. I already knew 98% of the information, but it is never a waste of time to reacquaint yourself with the knowledge needed to be able to recognize a suicidal person and to help. The links talked about the warning signs of suicide. One of the ones that I’ve always thought interesting was giving away your things. I wonder how many people actually do this behavior before attempting suicide. I think the other signs are pretty common in people who are suicidal though. I found it interesting that physical disorders such as Thyroid disease can cause depression and this. It makes sense, but I never really thought about the biological causes of it as much as the psychological ones. I have also known that antidepressant meds can cause suicidal thoughts. One med that I used to be on was Zoloft. This medicine was horrible. It didn’t help me feel better. It made me feel bogged down and just yucky. I think that it is horrible that meds that are supposed to help actually can do harm in the area they are supposed to help! I am no longer on any meds and haven’t been for years, luckily. I was able to get over it on my own eventually, but I don’t know what would have happened if I had continued those meds. They also discussed the different causes of suicidal thoughts. I think these are important for people to realize. I have had a few friends who have committed suicide and there’s always the question of why. One friend had been treated horribly by her mother. She was always yelled at. I don’t know the entire depth of the issues, she lived up the street from me and we hung out when we were little, but her good friends said that her mother made her life pretty much a living hell. I don’t believe her father was in the picture either. She always seemed like a happy girl. On Mother’s Day a couple years ago, she hung herself in her closet. Her older brother found her hanging and yelled for her mom to help. She was still alive when he got her down I believe and attempted CPR on her to no avail. The sad part is her mom didn’t even go try to help or anything. From my perspective, it would seem if you heard that your daughter was hanging upstairs, you would immediately run and try to save her. The causes Mayo talks about seem pretty real and severe. You really have no idea how much your actions can affect someone else. I believe there was also evidence that she had tried to get herself down while she was doing it too, but the belt she used wouldn’t loosen. She thought she had no choice and then panicked. I feel that this is probably the case with many people that commit suicide; they panic when they are actually doing it, but realize too late that they have other options. It is so sad that these causes can create such terrible feelings inside. Many people don’t realize how devastating these feelings can be. They think that it’s something the people will get over or that it can’t be that bad. Pages like these will help people realize that it is a very serious matter and that people can’t just get over these things on their own typically. It takes help. This is the next part they talked about. They discussed how important it is to get help if you or someone you know is feeling or thinking this way. They talked about how medications can help as well as therapy and doing things that will help relieve some of those feelings at home. Most importantly, they discussed how important it is to be considerate to someone you know that might feel like this. It is vital that you listen and be there for them, no matter what, even if that means getting them help behind their back.
I know from personal experience how betraying it can feel to have someone “tell on you” behind your back, but also how rewarding it can be to have a friend who literally saves your life. I have also had to get my friends help in the same situation. The thing to remember is, you may lose your best friend, but you saved their life, and some day they will be thankful. The most important thing I learned from my process is that it may not get better in 5 minutes, 5 months, or 5 years even, but eventually it will. You have to see the bigger picture and remember the things you are living for, whether that is your parents, friends, siblings, goals, dreams, etc. As I stated in a previous comment, the biggest form of help you can do is to show people that you care, even if it is a stranger. You never know who may be feeling like killing themselves that day or soon, so smile at them, let them know even a stranger cares. Ask them how they are, hold doors open for them, and make sure you put away your own bad day to let people know that they are not alone in this world, in this fight. It will get better. I have been able to take my experiences and have actually saved many people who have been very much on the verge of killing themselves. They still thank me today and tell me that the fact that I cared, someone they’d never met, meant more to them than they can say.
I think these sources are very good in explaining everything and giving solutions. I think that we need more sources like these to produce awareness and educate the public on these sensitive issues. The website I found is definitely not a professional one, however, it is made by someone who has severe depression and suicidal tendencies but has been receiving treatment for them since 1990. They created the website to help people who are contemplating suicide. Pretty much the author tries to persuade people not to commit suicide. She has poems she had written, arguments against it, links for help and other sites, books that help, etc. The site is kind of hard to navigate, and sometimes she seems pushy, but I think that for someone who is in utter despair, it will get through to them. It definitely makes you realize you aren’t alone if you’re suffering. Here it is: http://suicide.com/. She also seems to have many other sites herself dedicated to this topic.
As for conceptualizing this as violent behavior, I would definitely say so. The person doing the work feels there is no other option; it may not be that they WANT to be hurt and die, but they feel they don’t have any other way to relieve the pain. It is the most severe form of self-harm. If murder is violence, I believe you would have to say suicide is too. It can be conceptualized especially if you look at the ways people commit suicide. The most frequent, at least for males, is by gun. How is this not violent? Others cuts, drink, overdose on pills, hang, burn, etc.
For anyone in this class who reads this, I have a message. I used to be ashamed that I had depression and used to self-harm and was suicidal. I even was ashamed in previous posts for this class. Throughout these readings, I have realized that it is not something I should be ashamed of, because being ashamed only gives it power and reduces the positive effect you can have on others who might feel the same way. If anyone feels this way, I would definitely be here to help, to talk, to listen. I’m sure there are plenty of people who wouldn’t admit they have been there because they are ashamed. I have gone through an amazing journey with this. I haven’t had these problems since I was 15 (6 years ago), and would love to be there for anyone who might need it. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone if you are in this situation, no matter the extent of your problems. Big or small, they are all important. Take action. It saved my life. It can save yours.
All the readings were comprised of what one would typically think to find in an article about suicide. What was most interesting is the fact each article seemed to be written for if the person reading it was suicidal. It seemed to make a much more personal impact when reading and could also help others more adequately understand what a person with suicidal ideations is going through.
When reading through the articles, it was surprising how much helpful information was in each article, along with being understandable to the general public. Some general stereotypes were thoroughly debunked (such as what a “typical” person wanting to commit suicide says or does), which could help those who do not generally deal with suicide be of more help to an unstable friend.
When reading through these articles, I was actually surprised by how much I already knew about suicide, due to previous classes and outside work. I know by talking to others who do not normally deal in this sort of area normally, that much of what was discussed in the article can come as quite a surprise. Also, I was quite surprised at how understanding each article was, while still being able to appeal from a professional view. It was often mentioned how each person was different; it takes time to heal from emotional wounds, and more.
There were a few ideas that I found quite interesting: the article’s take on genetics with suicide. It stated an increase in impulsive behavior, which I did find somewhat surprising. It is often to easy to think most suicides are firmly planned out with messages and the like, but those with say extreme mood swings or a personality disorder might just decide to kill themselves suddenly when extremely depressed.
I believe the quality of the articles are quite reliable. The Mayo clinic is a well respected health facility and when reading the articles, it was also much of the same information I had heard about suicide and depressed thoughts before (that were also credible). Also, with any credible source, people need to keep in mind individual differences in reference to suicide.
The extra article I found describing the problems colleges had with suicide was quite interesting to me. It discussed a problem college will always seem to have: the amount of involvement an educational institution is supposed to take. This problem seems especially important when raised with the fact that suicide is second in death in college student killings, according to the Times article.
If self harm from last week’s discussion could be conceptualized as violent behavior, then it would be fitting to also put suicide into a violent category. While suicide won’t often be the sort of pressing violence that must be dealt with immediately, like others (such as dyadic violence for example), it can still have lasting harmful effects on those known to the individual who committed suicide. This is something I think the article covers quite well, helping those who have suffered through such a loss (I would almost want to call those affected by the suicide the “victims” in this case). Another possible scenario is suicide attempts. This is the sort of violence that must be dealt with immediately due to the often multiple attempts. Also, included in this is the articles mentions a few times that sometimes people who are planning suicide may hurt someone else in the process (even if accidentally). This can be another item to categorize suicide into violence.
http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=05678008-958D-8476-7CD04234DBBBFC69
These links appeared to be informative on the issue of suicide and offered a wide array of treatment and coping strategies. I must say one of the things I was surprised about was the risk factor of being a man age 65 or older. Although I am aware that all ages can be suicidal, I was not aware that this was considered an actual risk factor to suicide.
The information regarding physical health problems as being linked to suicidal thinking was informative. I was unaware that there was a link between suicidal thinking/depression and thyroid disease, lupus or Wilson’s disease. I have heard of circumstances when brain tumors have developed and cause the person to have a significant personality change, including feeling depressed or experiencing suicidal ideation.
It was good to see that their section on offering support was extensive and informative. Many options were provided and helpful advice was given on how to deal with someone you may know experiencing suicidal thinking. Also, there appeared to be several options given to someone who may be experiencing the symptoms themselves.
The clients I have had suffering from depression, bipolar, or suicidal ideation have fit into the categories of symptoms/signs listed on the website. Often times it has been beneficial to ask questions like the ones on the site and be proactive/direct with them to address what they are feeling. I think it was important for the site to explain that discussing the issue does not push or make the person more likely to commit suicide. Instead, it allows the person an opportunity to speak out about their feelings and experiences. This can often allow a “safe space” for the person to open up about what they have been experiencing and allow them to think through things.
For me, suicide borders violence because sometimes suicide can be a violent act. Research suggests that men are more “successful” at committing suicide because they do it in such a way that would make it difficult to survive, for example: shooting themselves. Women are more likely to use pills or slit their wrists.
Often I feel that people are so touchy about the issue of suicide: talking about it, dealing with someone grieving the loss of a loved one who did, dealing with someone who is suicidal. Bringing awareness to the issue of suicide and suicidal thinking is crucial, as talking about it and having open communication about the issue is the only way to manage prevention issue.
My website: http://www.save.org/ This website offers information on preventing suicide, as well as supportive services to those who have been affected by suicide.
The material in the readings contained information on suicide in general, suicidal thoughts such as considering suicide, what to do when someone you know is suicidal, and how to cope with your emotions when someone you know does commit suicide. I thought that all of these sites were helpful, and for the most part interesting. What surprised me the most about the reading was all the support being done for the individual that is considering suicide. The website seemed to be really caring about both the people considering suicide, and the people who are healing from having a loved home commit suicide. The website offered many coping strategies for the people suffering, such as reminding them that there are going to be triggers reminding them of their loved one like holidays and anniversaries. Also, the website featured a section on bracing yourself for powerful emotions such as guilt, shock, anger, and despair. I think that the person will expect to experience some emotions, but the reading seem to encourage them to expect them, and to face them head on, which I believe is a positive way of dealing with your emotions.
The section of the readings that I am most interested in would be the section explaining what to do when someone is suicidal. This pertains to me in more ways than one. I have not actually known anyone that was suicidal and actually went through with it, but I am friends with many people who have experienced it. For example, while attending Iowa Central in Fort Dodge from 2007-2009, I was affected by the unusual number of suicides in the area. Off of the top of my head I can name off 6 people that committed suicide during my two years there, and that’s not even counting the people that I didn’t know. I was friends with a lot of the people who grew up in Fort Dodge and the surrounding areas, so I heard about them and tried to help my friends cope. If my friends and the victim’s families would be able to see the signs and would have known some of ways to predict whether or not they were suicidal. The warning signs mentioned such as abusing alcohol and drugs, dramatic mood swings, etc would maybe have helped the victim’s loved ones. Also, the coping section would have been helpful for my friends and their victim’s families.
After reading through these readings, I think I believe that suicide is not necessarily a type of violence. The people who do commit suicide seem to be extremely depressed, and I believe that they are trying to make their voice heard even though the way they went about it was committing suicide, which is final. The people that I have known that have committed suicide were not violent people, and many of them kept quiet and appeared to be happy. Even though I do believe that suicide is a violent act to oneself, I do not believe that suicidal people try to cause suffering, or violence with their loved ones and the people affected by their suicide.
Suicide is such an interesting topic, especially when being applied to the idea of a violence. Typically people do not relate suicide to violence, but mostly mental illness. Which I think it's actually technically both, I think it's a mental illness that ends in violence. From my experiences and encounters with suicide, suicide is not an action done on a whim, but usually is planned for some amount of time. However, it is actually really difficult to prevent someone from committing suicide because many times no one know that the person who kills them self is even thinking about harming them self. Also, suicide is typically a taboo topic to even mention, let alone discuss with someone.
I was not really surprised by any of the information because I have been confronted by many people with severe depression and attempts of suicide several times in my life. I was really good friends with someone in high school that often attempted suicide and struggled with intense depression all through high school. I found through these experiences that suicide is such a sad thing for all the people that have any relationship with some who is thinking about killing themselves, especially parents. It's obviously very sad for the person thinking about ending their life because they are clearly struggling with many internal conflicts and no not feel worthy of life. It is also very sad for people around the person contemplating suicide because they feel worthless in the persons life and can't understand why such a wonderful person with so much potential ( in their eyes) is trying to end their life.
Also I think people are often surprised by the people that actually go through the process of killing themselves. Many of the people that i have known whom actually died from suicide I would have never guessed was even thinking about killing themselves because their life seems much happier then it was. When I was a junior in high school one of the most liked kids in my classed killed himself one night and no one had any idea it was coming. In school he did excellent and was very out going and fun to be around, but secretly he was very unhappy particular with his home life. It came to a shock to everyone. I have heard from many testimonies from people who have known people who committed suicide that they were completely surprised that the person was unhappy with their life.
Something I have heard over time as well was that women are more like to attempt suicide, while men are more like to actually commit suicide. I think this has to do with the method of suicide. More often you hear of men shooting themselves, while women overdose or cut themselves. Overall, I think suicide is such a tragic problem, however it is very difficult to prevent among people who commit suicide.
Additional Website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/suicide.html This website was kind of short, but it had some good stats on suicide.
I used to think that those who commit suicide have tried before, or have harmed themselves in the past. This is not always the case. I have learned by reading (and by experience) that sometimes those who complete suicide do so totally out of nowhere. It is a very spontaneous decision that is not based on past pain, but may instead be based on one event that sets them off.
I also like how the Mayo sites give a more personal, gentle approach to dealing with suicide. For example, rather than saying just call a hotline, they give coping strategies. I liked the suggestions of having a list of people they could contact rather than just one person. Having multiple outlets may help them release their feelings in different ways.
I think it's helpful to include information for those of us who may be the friends of someone who has been contemplating suicide. Giving tips on how to approach them and the right questions to ask can help. However, I'm not sure how I feel about a couple of the questions. Asking how they would do it, when, and whether they have the means kind of seems like you are prompting them to think about it even more than they were before. So in essence, you might be contributing to the suicidal thoughts more than preventing them. The best section I feel is the "Offer Support": encouraging them to communicate with you, offering reassurance, and taking any suicidal behaviors seriously are some of the best ways to handle someone showing signs of depression or suicidal behaviors.
I actually knew about the effects antidepressants can have...actually contributing to suicidal thoughts rather than eliminating them (in the first 2 months of use). I took the Psych class about Drugs last semester and we discussed about the biological effects those drugs can have on the brain. And strangely enough, they sometimes do lead to suicidal thoughts rather than reducing them.
As far as if suicide should be considered violent, I feel it should be considered similar to the self-harm behavior, but not completely the same. Obviously, the act of killing is violent, but when it is done to yourself, it is one and done. One act, and it's over. You can't punish someone who commits suicide. The consequences fall on the family; the guilt, the grief. But there is no 'illegality' to suicide. It is not viewed as a violent act such as assault or murder when those acts are done against someone else. With self-harm, we step in to help them, to protect them. With suicide, there is nothing we can do for the person themselves. We instead help those left behind to grieve.
The resource I found was http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/injury/index.htm
It gave certain statistics about injury and violence trends in youth. I found it interesting that the amount of 9-12th graders reporting suicidal behaviors has reduced from 1991-2009. I think this is probably due to the amount of programs that have developed to raise awareness about suicide and depression. Hopefully this number will continue to go down as more is done to prevent suicidal thoughts and feelings.
I have posted before that suicide is a somewhat taboo subject in my home. It's not that we are insensitive or naive people, not that we feel talking about it may make people think it's a good idea, it's because suicide has left my husband and his family wounded. I couldnt help but think of their story while reading about dealing with grief and what to do if you think someone is suicidal.
The Mayo clinic links are great, I like that there were so many different aspects of suicide to read up on, I suppose it may be so that running a random google search on any aspect of suicide will turn up a link. The information was good, well worded, easy to understand. I really like that there is special attention paid to teenagers who may be suicidal and to those who may have a friend who is suicidal. We've all been teenagers, we can surely see how this is a difficult time in ones life.
I can't say there was much new information for me. I have familiarized myself with the literature on suicide in the past and have seen the same information again and again... call 911, don't leave a person alone, don't brush off a threat for suicide as a cry for attention, take it seriously and save a life. I think the Mayo site had a great approach to make sure they could really help someone who needed answers weather they were suicidal, had a suicidal friend, or were trying to understand why someone they knew or loved had committed suicide.
Many people just don't understand what would make a person suicidal. of course many of us really like our lives and would never consider doing such a thing. the website I visited was Suicideproject.org, which I felt was an eye opener even for me... but then I saw that it is one of the sites we were asked to visit for another assignment. So my web search carried on until I found http://www.suicidology.org/web/guest/home. this seems to be a very comprehensive look at suicide and give alot of attention to those in the clinical feild of psychology. I liked the name, suicidology or the study of suicide. I think if any of us were to go on to a career that may put us in contact with possibly suicidal people we could benefit from some of the information on this site. another aspect of this site I liked was the information on current research being done on suicide. Theres some interesting stuff in there! Hopefully research can help us find better ways to help individuals before too late.