I'd like you to read this site: http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
and browse through this one: http://suicideproject.org/
It's not easy reading, particularly the suicide project.
What are your thoughts? Have your thoughts changed about suicide being considered part of the academic study of violence? Why or why not? What aspects of suicide prevention efforts (you may need to google around a bit to learn more about these) are similar to violence prevention (refer to your textbook for info on these)? How are they different? Are there elements of violence prevention efforts that COULD be used in suicide prevention, but are not generally used now?
After reading through the websites given, my opinion on considering suicide as a form of violence has not changed. Whether you are intentionally directing aggressive actions towards another person or yourself, it is still a form of violence.
At first I thought suicide prevention efforts and violence prevention measures were completely different. However after further examination they do seem to have some similarities. One of these similarities deals with the use of hot-line numbers and online resources. Both of these resources provide support to individuals with suicidal ideations (suicide prevention) and victims of violent crime such as rape, sexual assault, and the like. There is a ton of information about organizations dedicated to help victims of violence as well as individuals contemplating suicide. These are where the similarities end.
I think suicide prevention efforts tackle the issue of violence at a micro-level while violence prevention efforts are more at the macro-level. Suicide involves the acts of one individual. Thus it makes sense that suicide prevention efforts are geared towards the individual. Therefore, one can see an emphasis on psychotherapy and other forms of coping mechanisms whose goals are to help the individual deal with their own particular stresses of daily life. Violence prevention on the other hand is more complex. For starters, there are several forms of violence: murder, assault, armed robbery, sexual assault, rape, property violence, and the list goes on. The root of these issues are not so much about the individual, but about society and elements of society that can lead to increased levels of violence. Poverty is probably the best predictor of violence. Poverty is tied to lower levels of education, higher levels of stress, all of which have shown to cause higher levels of violence. Other factors involve race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and forms of government. Therefore there is a plethora of violence prevention measures ranging from rape/sexual assault victimization hot-lines, victim support groups, neighborhood watch programs to global organizations such as the United Nations.
I’m not sure if elements of violence prevention measures could be used in suicide prevention aside from the ones already in place and described above. Perhaps increasing awareness on a global scale, particularly in nations with higher rates of suicide, could prove to be useful.
Before reading through this material, and by doing the last assigned blog, I was somewhat confused by the use of violence in suicide. I felt as though I was slightly confused because I really didn’t want to think of someone who is suicidal being depressed and wanting to act violently upon themselves. Then, I realized after reading through this material that even suicidal people are depressed, and that since they are projecting destructive actions towards themselves then they are actually being violent. In my eyes, there really is no easy way of going about killing yourself, since the ultimate goal and fate is death, which is most certainly a violent notion.
Suicide prevention and violence prevention are, hypothetically speaking, the same, yet different at the same time. I say this because there have been organizations existing for a while that help with a person who is feeling down or depressed. This could be a hotline where a person can call about a violent episode with, for example, their spouse or parent. These types of violent episodes may lead to depression, which could possibly lead to suicide, considering depression is a sign that someone could be suicidal. That being said, I do believe that violence prevention could be used in suicide prevention since they all seem to follow one another, like a chain reaction.
I was somewhat aware of the amount of online resources that deal with suicide prevention and violence prevention, but I was unaware of the Suicide Project, and the amount of people who write for that website on a daily basis. I was really surprised with the amount of people who have already written for Feb. 1st, and already for Feb. 2nd! These people are really crying out for help, and after reading through their posts it is clear to see that violence is in their lives. Since violence seems to be a regular occurrence for these people, then violence prevention could help them along with suicide prevention services.
After reading the websites, my opinion on whether suicide could be considered violence or not hasn't changed. I still think that both self-harm and suicide can be considered violence because they are hurting someone intentionally.
I do think that some prevention strageties of both violence and suicide are similar. They both try to raise national awareness of the problem. Elizabeth mentioned that they both have hotline numbers. They also do both focus on community prevention. They both also use group therapy to help those affected. There are some differences, however. I agree with Elizabeth that suicide prevention has more personal level prevention measures than violence prevention does. Also, while poverty may be a risk factor for violence in general, I haven't seen it listed as a risk factor for suicide, so naturally there aren't prevention strageties based on economic status for suicide like there are for violence prevention. Prevention strageties typically focus on the individual, reaching out to at-risk kids, and strageties to prevent suicide attempts (like learning to say "no", being around others, and talking about your feelings). I do think that working with communities on suicide prevention, along with a more aggressive public awareness, could really help suicide prevention measures.
After reading through these websites, I still think suicide and self harm can be categorized as a different and separate type of violence, but not necessarily as the typical textbook definition of violence. The intent is to inflict harm and to relieve other forms of pain as well.
I think the first website was more effective for suicide prevention. Often times, people try to help those who are suicidal, but it only ends up reinforcing the suicidal thoughts. For example, loved ones become angry or distanced from the suicidal individual, only reinforcing their thoughts that people do not love them. It is important that the individual has an unbiased, non-judgmental person to rely on for help and understanding.
It seems as though most prevention methods for violence are to restrain the individual and try to control triggering forces. This is also common in suicide prevention. Often, those who are thought to be suicidal may be put on a strict watch and are not allowed to be without the supervision of a mentally healthy adult. Triggers are controlled by keeping the person away from objects that he or she could use to end his or her life.
Other violence prevention efforts include educational programs and providing a safe environment for those in high-violence areas, such as urban cities. Educational programs could also be implemented in schools to provide suicide awareness and prevention. There are various efforts that strive for preventing self harm and suicide, and promoting self-worth and coping strategies. These educational programs would be especially important, seeing as the suicide rate among teens is very high.
These websites, especially the second one, were a little hard for me to read. While browsing the second website, I was so surprised to find so many people who were posting help wanted ads trying to find people who would either help them commit suicide or be there during their last minutes of life. Some of these individuals were even willing to fly anywhere in the country if they could find a suicide partner. After reading through these website, my thoughts on whether suicide should be considered part of the academic study of violence has not changed. I still believe that suicide is a violent act because intentional harm is being done to an individual—it doesn’t matter whether it’s done to the self or another person.
There are some similarities and differences between violence prevention efforts and suicide prevention efforts. One similarity is both prevention efforts have hotlines for people to call. There are also various website people can visit to obtain information that may be helpful for them in their current situation as well as contact information for additional services. Both also seem to focus on community prevention and awareness as key aspects in preventing violence and suicide. Suicide prevention efforts focus more on individualized behaviors and needs whereas violence prevention efforts focus more on a larger population or society in general. Coping mechanisms for suicide prevention efforts therefore deal more with how one individual can cope with his/her particular issues. Violence prevention efforts are more complex and vary between all the different types of violence out there. For example, there are hotlines for victims of abuse, victims of sexual assault, victim support services, etc.
I can’t say for sure whether or not elements of violence prevention efforts could be used is suicide prevention besides the ones that are used now. More awareness, especially on larger scale, could definitely be beneficial to preventing suicide. It also depends on whether people consider suicide a violent act or not. If not, then violence prevention efforts may not be useful to some people if they don’t consider suicide to be a violent act.
Neither one of these websites had any impact on my views of suicide being a violent behavior. The fact of the matter is that, we all know murder is violent. Murdering yourself does not make that any different. This may sound a little insensitive, and I apologize, but I have always thought of suicide as being sort of selfish. Of course, we have no way to know what is going on in that person's life, but more often then not they don't really come to anyone for help and they don't consider all of the grief they are making everyone else feel.
One story on the Suicide Project website really got to me and I feel it illustrates my point. The person posed this question to readers, "Is the pilot/or cowcatcher at the front of a via train or freight train high enough above the track to go over your head so your head goes under the wheel? Serious replies only please." This really bothered me. This person seems like they were just begging for attention when they posted this question. They don't seem sad, or depressed. Again, I could be wrong because I do not know what is going on in their life. However, I feel this is a great example of how some people who attempt or succeed in suicide do not necessarily consider the huge impact their death would have on other people around them. Killing yourself is NEVER the answer and there are always better ways you can get over your depression and cope with the horrible events life happens to throw at you.
For another example, my uncle took his life when I was only twelve or so. No warning. All that was left was a note he had left for his wife before he finally killed himself. None of us even knew how unhappy he was. Everytime I saw him, he seemed very happy. When he killed himself, all the lives of everyone in my family changed. My grandparents were devastated, which is to be expected of any parent who outlives thier child. My dad, aunts and uncles, were also devastated. My dad and uncles even had to be the ones to carry his casket into the church. I remember looking over in the middle of the service and I saw my dad cry for the first time in my entire life. This broke my heart. What was so horrible about my uncle's life that would make him do this to himself and his family? To this day, the scars still seem fresh and it has been ten years.
In this regard, suicide (to me) is on the same level as murder. The people who kill other people clearly do not think about the lives they have impacted and the pain they have caused so many people. They just do it. That is why suicide should be considered violent.
Again, it does sound highly insensitive and there is no way to fully understand what is going through a person's head when they consider suicide. That is why it is so important for us to prevent this violent act before it happens.
Suicide can be difficult to prevent because it would be difficult for anyone to be open and honest about wanting to kill themselves. To be honest, I bet if someone were to come up to anyone and just casually say they want to kill themselves, I'll bet there is even a chance that we may think they are just looking for some attention. The first step in preventing suicide is to take any talk of suicide seriously. Another way we can prevent suicide is by looking at different behavioral changes. If a person becomes more withdrawn and starts showing less enthusiasm for activities they used to love, for example. This is also a way we can prevent violence in general.
Another way we can prevent violent acts is through educating people about them before they happen. Education could also be a tool we used to prevent suicide. Most people that commit suicide are out of hope and feel there is nowhere else to turn to. They don't even turn to their own family in some cases. If we educate people early on about how to get help if they are suicidal, then we could potentially save lives.
By educating people about suicide, we also open the door for more people to be able to spot warning signs that someone is suicidal. If people are better aware of the warning signs, they may be more likely to be upfront with friends and family that may be at risk for commiting suicide. In turn, if a person who is considering suicide or becoming depressed knows that there are, in fact, people that care about them, they may be more likely to actually follow through with suicide attempts.
I think many different violence prevention tactics could apply to the issue of suicide. The only way they differ, in my opinion, is that violence prevention is, more often than not, more generalized to whole populations, whereas suicide prevention tends to be more intimate and more genearlized to suicidal people and their friends and families. For example, when all the violence and shootings were breaking out in Waterloo. The Courier had run a story about what the city was doing to stop the shootings and turn Waterloo around and how the city was coping with the violence and losses. However, whenever people talk about suicide, they normally answer the questions about how individuals can seek help for themselves or someone they know who is considering suicide. Even in education programs, they always say what you can do individually.
Suicide is a very serious subject and I am glad we are covering it. Suicide is a very violent act and, the more we learn about it and how we can prevent it, the more lives we can save...literally.
I actually reviewed the metanoia website for the previous assignment on suicide, and I think it’s definitely one of the best prevention sites that I came across during my search. I think that it’s really important that those who are thinking about suicide understand that there are other people out there who have felt the same way, and have survived. The insight that this website provides is really helpful, as the information does not come across as blaming or scolding, but more understanding and supportive. In times when people are feeling so unstable, I think it’s very important that you treat their feelings with respect and care rather than approaching them in a more threatening or questioning manner.
The suicide project was definitely hard to read at times, especially since it is updated frequently. It’s hard to think that someone is feeling such horrible things right this minute, it makes the whole thing seem much more real and close to home. I also thought it was interesting that other members of the site could respond to the postings. I think that this could be either really great, or really bad. If the wrong person comes across the blog and makes a negative comment it could push that person over the edge. At the same time, it could be really great that people who are having the same feelings are able to talk to each other about it and help each other through their struggles. I also like that some of the comments mention books and other resources about self harm behaviors or suicide. It’s a great resource for those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and don’t have anywhere to turn, as this site is anonymous and their feelings or plans don’t have to be reported (as they would if they were talking to a counselor or a psychiatrist).
As far as prevention goes, I think we can take some of the aspects of violence prevention (such as looking at the General Aggression Model to further our understanding), but we still need to look at self harm behaviors in a different light. I have mentioned in past posts that our class discussion on the idea that self harm behaviors include both a victim and a perpetrator in one person, and how this provides a different perspective on how we should approach prevention ideas. In addition to this different between violence and self harm, we also need to take into consideration the emotional states that differ between the two. Those who engage in violent behaviors are often acting out of more anger-based behaviors, whereas self harm or suicidal acts are acting out of feelings of defeat or depression. This is a very important aspect of prevention, as the emotional states of both violence and self harm behaviors are unstable and difficult emotions to deal with.
For example, it wouldn’t be right to send someone who is having suicidal thoughts to jail. It just doesn’t make sense, and that’s definitely not going to help them relieve their stress that has brought on their suicidal feelings. Other violence prevention strategies, such as anger management counseling, may be able to be applied to these behaviors. Many anger control sessions involve group counseling-something that could definitely assist those who are suicidal. Providing that type of human connection and communication could really help relieve some of the depression that these people are feeling. Anger management also focuses on controlling your emotions and actions, another aspect that may be able to be applied to suicidal help. While some of the aspects of understanding violence could be applied to understanding suicide, I still think that we need to look at prevention in a slightly different light. There are many key differences between the two that need separate attention, although some of the theories may be able to transfer between the two.
These websites were interesting in that they were from the perspective of the individual and not another looking in. While I still believe suicide should be studied as violent behavior, hearing from the victims shows how delicate these situations need to be handled. Especially on The Suicide Project website, you can tell these individuals are one incident away from taking their lives. I do still believe suicide is violent behavior, but there are obvious differences in how sucidal behavior should be handled versus person to person violence.
Suicide prevention and violence prevention both stress finding ways to cope. The coping methods do vary, but both find it crucial to find a coping method. I guess I would disagree with previous posts that violence prevention is focused more macro-level and suicide is more individualized. I feel that violence prevention is many times just as individualized as suicide prevention. I would argue that the difference between the two lies in the reactive versus proactive nature of prevention. Suicide prevention tends to be more proactive in that when signs of suicidal thoughts or behavior are noticed, HOPEFULLY, there is intervention. I know this is not always the case, but violence prevention is more reactive. By this I mean there is usually not intervention for violence until an individual or group engages in violent behavior. I think both violence and suicide prevention are more micro-level issues though. I would agree that societal factors play a large role in violence, but they also play a large role in suicide as well.
A big prevention technique I feel is used in violence prevention that could be used more seriously in suicide prevention is taking a threat seriously. Violent threats are taken seriously in most cases. Suicide threats or suicidal antecedents are many times brushed off as being dramatic, teenager problems, or just not taken seriously. I also think counseling could be used more in suicide prevention. It is a known fact that elementary/middle/high schools do not all have a lot of funding. Many times the first position to be cut is the counseling staff or resources provided for the counseling staff. This tactic to save money seems ironic considering adolesence is the most confusing and changing time for a person. Depriving kids of an adequate counseling system in schools is a big problem in the U.S., and maybe implementing better programs would help in teen suicide.
While perusing through the two sites, it was interesting to see something written by those considered “amateur”, but who have actually dealt with the tragedy of suicide/struggling with suicide personally. I think sites like these could help, especially if someone feels unable to confide in a professional right away. The first site was very nonjudgmental and calm and I believe it could be very helpful to someone looking for answers. I especially liked how many sources were put in (such as resources and symptoms) to help the reader. The second site (the Suicide Project) would be a good place to further explore one’s frustrations. I think it could definitely help those who feel unheard and just need someone to voice their hardships to, even if it is online with strangers. Also, the site seems to have some sort of censorship against hateful comments left by others, which is better than some sites. There are some issues, however in banding together with others who are just as emotionally unstable without a professional to oversee.
I still believe suicide should be covered for a study of violence. There were some instances while reading the suicide project where I noticed one who was depressed (I cannot say if the blogger was suicidal or not) engaged in cutting. It does seem as though the lines of certain self-inflicted violence can blur somewhat, especially with self inflicted behavior and suicide. Those who do post on these sites might just need somewhere to vent and nothing will come of it, but for some it could be a cry for help before the actual act becomes completed (and would therefore, be violence). Also, reading these two sites does not change the emotional impact on those left behind (which was actually mentioned in the first site).
One aspect mentioned for violence prevention that is used for suicide prevention is the simple act of intervention. With both suicide and violence, people often need outside help. When using the GAM to reduce violence (in relation to the book), many of the prevention/control efforts were quite similar. This also included meeting basic needs, addressing symbolic needs, and more. Overall, it was quite interesting how many similarities there were between suicide and violence prevention.
Okay, I may catch a little flack for this but I really hated the Suicide Project forum. I typically do not like forums to begin with because you can always count on a few jerks who go on the site with the intention of either invoking an argument or just being rude and insensitive all together.
Then there's also this doubt I have about the sincerity of some of the posts. I don't know if it's my way of subconsciously minimizing the severity of the content that I'm reading or if it's because I have a stereotype of sorts built into my head of it being some kids who think its fun to mess with peoples' heads.
Suicide is an extremely dangerous topic. You never know just how serious a person might be and what comment (or situation) might be enough to send them over the edge (no pun intended). Which is why it angers me even more to think that some of these posts may be from some immature kids who have nothing better to do than to mess with people.
I guess on the flip side of the argument, is that if the people on the site are engaging in the conversations on the threads, then at least for that moment in time they aren't actively attempting suicide.
My thoughts about suicide being violent have not changed. Like many others had said in previous comments, it's still an act to inflict harm on somebody (that somebody being themselves) and that to me qualifies as violence.
Intervention seems to be a main theme in prevention efforts in both suicide and violence in general. Both short term and long term intervention techniques tend to be used for both. I would argue though is that with suicide prevention, society generally waits to act on implementing prevention techniques until a person either expresses with wish to commit suicide or some other "telling" sign comes forward (which makes sense because you don't know if a person is suicidal or not until they make it known or commit the act).
I think if we implemented the GAM's long term intervention technique of identifying those at risk at an earlier age or sooner in the process, then techniques could be used to help build coping resources for them.
I thought that the first website was very insightful and could potentially be very beneficial. I believe that identifying the 5 main points that the author did was a positive way to outreach individuals considering suicide. I definately liked the style of emphasizing the resources vs. pain analogy. I believe that it is a very simple yet direct and easy way to understand suicidal feelings. I think that this website would provide hope for individuals possibly considering suicide and could be very beneficial for those who are aware of individuals considering suicide. I think this website offers an easy read to gaining a better understanding of the thoughts and feelings that may be occurring and providing helpful resources to help manage that pain.
The suicide project website is very difficult to read. Although being in the profession, I understand that individuals are struggling with similar feelings on a daily basis, it is very hard to read it on a website in black and white, knowing that the only capacity you have to potentially helping the individual is to post a comment. Although I feel that this is a good way for individuals to reach out to others who may be experiencing similar feelings I also believe that this site may be very detrimental if read by and utilized ineffectively by some individuals. It is scary to see what you can read and find on the internet sometimes. My fear is that people not trained to deal with this type of behavior may potentially cause more harm than good, or people with deceptive motives might not take this site seriously and make poor judgements about comments they post.
Although these websites do not fully change my position on whether or not suicide should be discussed as a violent act, I believe our discussions in class have swayed me more towards considering it. I agree with Ashley's above post regarding the use of the GAM. I strongly believe that long term intervention is the most effective and intervening at the earliest possible stages could lead to more positive results.
These two websites offer insightful information to individuals dealing with suicidal feelings, as well as professionals who may work with individuals with these feelings. The first website definitely attempts to grasp at those wishing to commit suicide in any way possible through multiple interventions. It first tries to connect with the individual and state things that many people could feel relate to them initially. Once the goal of the person to continue reading has been established, the author tries to interject statements that relate to fact, such as suicide won’t offer any wanted relief (what is wished for) because there will only death. The author offers five facts for the person to consider before going through with any attempts. While factual, they also offer real life advice that is accurate and easily understandable. While reading the information, I noticed how carefully the author went about wording and stating things on this page so it would be as effective as possible. I think having this information available on the internet can have positive effects, as many people (especially adolescents) utilize the internet as a resource for most everything.
The second website very blatantly includes narratives of people’s most personal thoughts at a most vulnerable time. I think that again, utilizing the internet as a way to reach individuals and allow them the opportunity to speak with others who may feel similar emotions or professionals who can assist them with managing their feelings in a positive way.
I think the basis of violence prevention and suicide prevention is similar but often seem to appear on different levels. The main goal is often stopping the act, whether it be violence or suicide. The way the information is provided and the audience that views it may be the difference. Violence prevention is often done on a more macro level, as it is a more broad term. Violence can encompass multiple facets: murder, domestic violence, rape, assault, etc. Therefore, the prevention message is often broader and directed to a larger audience. Suicide prevention often seems to be a more micro level issue, as it often seems to relate to the individual who is suicidal. Unfortunately, it could be a macro message (and sometimes is) because peers, family, and professionals involved with the suicidal person (or just anyone in society should be aware of prevention techniques. Suicide seems to be such a personal and private issue that the prevention techniques are often personalized and privatized to individuals themselves. I think that websites like this, that offer advice to the suicidal person, as well as advice to others is beneficial to society and efforts to manage mental health needs more efficiently.
I guess my view on suicide has changed somewhat. From the textbook definition, I would still say suicide is not violence. From my own personal opinion, I would say it is. I think my opinion changed because of reading the personal testimonials. People who are considering suicide are constantly thinking about it. This means they are constantly thinking of killing themselves. I can’t categorize that as nonviolent. The fact that suicides are thought about by the person so specifically is enough, in my opinion, to consider the act violent. The more I think about it, the more it seems like it would have to be categorized that way. The issue I was having is that I know some people do not recognize their suicidal thoughts or actions as violent. In reality, outside of their minds, it is.
Many suicide prevention efforts are similar to the violence intervention efforts in the book. They both say that third parties should get involved to help. Also, they both say that actions to reduce risk factors should be taken. With suicide, one thing that can be done is getting professional help for any mental or psychological issues that may be involved. One thing that the book mentions is that the person’s basic and symbolic needs should be met. This may be helpful when dealing with suicide prevention. Some people commit suicide may be helped by feeling like someone is helping them to meet their needs. Another thing the book mentions is providing a healthy development for children. In many of the testimonies I read, the person did not have a particularly good childhood or at least felt as though they didn’t. Maybe if these people had more support and learned better social and life skills they wouldn’t feel so depressed that they want to take their own lives.
There are things about the first website I liked and didn’t like and the same goes for other suicide prevention websites. The first website was really easy to read. It was to the point and didn’t clutter the page with resources. All of the resources were left towards the end. It was relatable and felt like a real person was talking to you. One thing I didn’t like is that the person writing doesn’t give much credit to themselves as to knowing what it is like to feel suicidal and so the reader may feel like they don’t know what they’re talking about. Other websites had tons of useful information not only for the person who is suicidal but also for friends and family who may know someone who is suicidal or have had to deal with a loved one’s suicide. The information was pretty well organized on every page. Also, it is talked about, not as something to be ashamed of, but as something that is serious and needs to be shared with someone who can help. The thing I don’t like about many of these pages is that some seem very cluttered with pictures and odd links. That could be overwhelming to anyone especially someone who just wants to seek help. Another thing I’m not sure about is the structure of the information. There is not much going on except listing of the facts and resources. This could be good or bad and I’m not sure which. Some might like the fact that there is no emotional consoling on these pages and others may prefer the more personal message like that on the first websites. Overall, I think that all of these websites have potential to be helpful to a person dealing with suicide from any aspect.
I really thought that metanoia was a good website. I think the author really was sympathetic towards those who are in that situation and doesn’t try to make the person feel ashamed, but urges them to reach out and experience the good things in life that can happen by just taking that time to distance yourself from your emotions. This is an extremely important step for people who are depressed and thinking/planning to commit suicide, especially if they are teenagers. Teenagers don’t have the brain capabilities to distinguish between now and later, they can’t see the big picture and realize that things will change over time. If the author can get them to relax for even a few minutes to a week and think about that, it could have such a profound effect on their decisions. I think the author was smart in emphasizing that.
I really didn’t like the suicide project site though. It was extremely hard to read to see these people’s pain and that this was their one way of asking for help without actually asking for a lot of them. I think that a lot of the people who posted saying they were doing it or asking for ways to do it turned to the site for a cry for help while saying they’d do it. If they can see that at least one person cares to respond to the post and say “don’t do it,” it could change their thoughts about it, even if they don’t admit it. I think that some of the posts are horrible in the sense that they ask for ways to do it and people actually comment back and give them different ways to kill themselves. There was one post in particular that really sat with me and bothered me, http://suicideproject.org/2011/02/are-you-serious-about-committing-suicide/#comments. This person talks about how they actually have a partner to commit suicide with and have the plane ticket already. They also ask for backups in case this person falls through. It just hit my heart very deeply and made me extremely sad for them. I think if you look at it deeper, you realize that the person may not actually want to die. I can argue for this because they are reaching out to other people asking to do it with someone because they want to have their last moments happy. If they can find someone to do this with, doesn’t that show them that there are people in the world who will befriend them and their life could get better? I think asking for a partner kind of contradicts the act in the first place. It proves they aren’t alone and that they can get through things. I also got sad thinking about the fact that for many of these people, they come to the site daily just to have that interaction. There was a post by a 41 year old man on there whose wife had just left him and his 10 year old son and he felt completely destroyed and utterly useless. I felt so bad for him, because he feels there is nothing left for him and that killing himself would benefit his son so that he wouldn’t have to be burdened by him. I just hope that he doesn’t do it and that he talks to his wife. I understand how many of these people feel, and many times online was the only place to go to actually have a connection. It is a sad life to live. I wish I could do so much more for these people.
My thoughts about suicide being violent have not changed. It is obvious that people do not want to feel this way and do not want to really be gone, but they feel they don’t have any other options. They are harming themselves, even though it’s to release pain, which is undeniably not wanted. They don’t want the pain, they just want the relief. It is hard to explain and a very confusing matter, but I think it is clearly a violent situation, especially the posts where people described their suicide attempts. I still think it is very important in a violence class. Awareness is one of the best tools in a battle like this.
I think that suicide prevention and violence prevention have a lot of similarities. They both utilize professionals and nonprofessionals for things such as hotlines, therapy, safe places, etc. They try to make sure that people in both situations know that there is help out there in one way or another. They also both try to raise awareness for each type of prevention to assist in the lowering of the occurrences.
There are differences, however. It seems that there are more pre-situation programs in place for violence prevention than for suicide prevention. Violence is much more of a talked about topic. It isn’t as sensitive in nature, and is more widely accepted as a topic of debate. Violence is looked about as a social phenomenon more than an individual one like suicide is. In other terms, violence prevention takes a macro stand, while suicide prevention takes a micro one. Violence preventionists take a social stand and try to discover why certain areas/groups are more violent than others and how they can prevent this from happening as a whole. Suicide preventionists take a look at why certain individuals attempt/complete suicide and what they can do to help each person separately.
One aspect of violence prevention that could be used in suicide prevention is the programs that are placed in younger children, like middle schools. There are so many kids that start feeling suicidal at this age that could benefit from being aware of the warnings/signs and know what to do if they or someone they know starts feeling this way. They are at a point in their life when they won’t know what to do if their friend feels this way, they are confused and it could be devastating. I also know that there are places for violence victims to go, but am not so sure that there are many places for teens who are feeling suicidal to go where they feel safe and not judged. It is such a private feeling that implementing these places would be hard. It would be even harder to make people realize there are places that won’t judge them, just help them. I also think that violence prevention uses more statistics to show that many myths about violence aren’t true. I think that socially there are so many stigmatizations related to suicide and/or self-harm that people don’t really grasp what the true problem is. Mental illness has always been that type of thing and I think it will take extreme measures, like the research/publicity that violence has gotten to begin a forward thinking about these problems. The biggest thing, like I’ve said, is AWARENESS.
What two interesting websites. I liked the first one, but I think if I was thinking about committing suicide they would have lost me at the pain vs resources section of the page. I think it was very important for the website, but if I was constantly thinking about committing suicide I would have given up reading it at that point. I really liked the five bullet points though, I think that was a great way to draw attention to that portion of the website. While reading through the suicide project I felt really sad for all of the posts I read. I was very surprised by the different people that were on the site, various ages, careers, living situations, ect. It was interesting to see that stereotype of "teen girls" get washed away by the variation of people on the site. I observed that a lot of the people that posted stated a connection to their past experiences as a children for why they felt the way they did.
I think prevention technique is very different among violence and suicide. First of all people will openly admit that violence is socially unacceptable and is a problem, however people will admit that suicide is not acceptable, but do not admit that it's a problem within our society. Many people just don't want to acknowledge suicide and if they do they do not talk about it openly and treat it simply as a mental illness that does not have an impact on society. However, I feel strongly that suicide effects many people, not just the people whom die from it, but those who are attached to the person that commits suicide. I've seen first hand how a suicide can have a negative effect on a whole community. I think suicide needs to be further researched and explored publicly like violence is. You can find a poster in almost any public forum about ending some kind of violence like rape or murder or child abuse, but rarely do you see anything about stoping suicides that are happening.
I was really surprised reading the Suicide Project site. I have never read anything where people so freely expressing such DEEP thoughts. I know people who have been depressed and killed themselves, but I have never heard how hopeless and intense their feelings have become. Then to see what people post as comments to these rants; some are desperately trying to help them and offering assistance, and others are simply urging them on and encouraging them to kill themselves. It showed that both sides are active on this kind of site.
I think the other site is helpful. Like others have mentioned, it helps that it is written in a very informal way, like the author is speaking directly to you, the reader. It also gives good resources at the end to direct them towards more healing.
As far as if I think suicide should be considered violent, I agree with jcrain above. She mentioned how people who are considering suicide are constantly thinking about it. If it is such a premeditated act to cause harm, in that sense I still think it is violent. Yes, they may not see it as violent; they are trying to escape the pain, not cause more pain. But at the same time, they are harming/injuring someone...themselves. They also cause the emotional harm to their loved ones who are suddenly left without them.
I think the best way to help prevent suicide is what was listed on the website and in the the book; involving an outside source. Talking to someone is the best way for a hurting person to express their pain. Keeping it locked up inside will not improve their feelings; it will only be that much worse when they do let it out.
Another way of prevention goes all the way to the beginning with good parenting and development of the child. Obviously, with a child, you may not predict that your child might become suicidal later. But one of the ways to help prevent those depressed feelings would be to provide them with a loving, caring home.
If they feel like they have at least one safe place they can go where someone will listen to them, maybe they will become more socially adjusted and be able to deal with their problems better. A strong support system early on can make a person more stable in the long run.
Reading these sites makes you really think about what kind of deep sadness it takes to make someone want to commit suicide. I was really taken in by the posts put up on the suicide project site. It seems like some of these people who post their stories on there have formed some sort of friendship, they reach out for eachother and follow the others stories. While the other website tried to get people who felt suicidal to pause and think about it, try to make it for just a bit longer, the suicide project brings these terribly desperate people together in one place and allows them a voice. It allows them to be heard by people who understand what they are going through better than the "normals". I was also a little surprised at the number of people who were not teenagers. I know I should know that not only teens are suicidal, but I figured if anyone was going to write about it on some public website it would be the angst filled teens. I suppose it makes sense that this is a way to reach out, and no one here is going to judge you based on where you are in life. one aspect of the suicide project website that got to me was the survivor posts. Stories of those who tried to commit suicide and failed, or some who have changed their minds. One woman wrote about how she was holding her young daughter and feeling remorseful for the instability she's had for the first part of her life. It's so heartwrenching to see these types of posts... all these people who are reaching out in one last desperate plea. So many of them just need a friend or someone who really cares. Others could have a great chance of pulling through is they had resources available to them, even as simple as counseling and medication. I couldn't even look at the posts in the losses section... that's pain no one should have to face alone, and so many I'm sure are. We look at suicide as a type of violence in this class. I want to look past the obvious connections of the self harm aspect and focus on the after math of suicide. When a person commits suicide they don't always take into consideration just how the loss of them will affect everyone else. Many times a deeply depressed person will have thoughts that the world is better without them, they can't see beyond their own sadness to get a big picture of why things are the way they are. One teen girl put a post up about how she loves her mom, her dad left, money is tight and she is miserable raising her little brother... suicide is her answer. It's glaringly obvious to me that her mother is struggling and lacks the resources to give her the free time and classic teen life she wants. If whe were to kill herself, what would that do to her mother? I could only imagine the guilt and inadequacy she would feel... and where would that leave her little brother? This family may not be ideal, but a teen suicide will make it far worse that what it is now. suicide has a ripple effect on the people who surround the victim. it may not be direct or intentional harm, but suicide hurts those around the victim. We could put this in the psychological or emotional category of violence because of the guilt, regret, loss, despair, etc. that those around the victim experience for long after the suicide has occured.