Abnormal psychology is the scientific prediction, explanation, diagnosis, and identification of the specific maladaptive behaviors and the best strategies to treat them. Currently, abnormal psychology, which is sometimes referred to as psychopathology, is a pathological issue that involves a psychological dysfunction that leads to both physical and psychological distress and impairs normal functioning, contrary to the norms and expected behavioral, societal, and cultural standards (Curtis & Kelley, 2019). Suicide is a major problem in contemporary society, involving killing oneself due to depression and other mental illnesses. Currently, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States across all age groups. At least 121 suicide cases occur in the country per day, and this implies that more than 44,193 cases are recorded every year (Esang & Ahmed, 2018). Specifically, suicide is the death resulting from self-inflicted injuries performed with the intention to die from the same actions. Most suicide cases involve alcohol intoxication, which is responsible for at least 22% of suicide cases. Again, opioids, marijuana, and cocaine-related suicide cases cause 20%, 10.2%, and 4.6% of all suicide cases in the United States. Amphetamines contribute to 3.4% of suicide cases, although opioids remain the greatest risks of suicidal behavior in the country (Esang & Ahmed, 2018). Several factors cause suicide, although the issue is preventable and even though access to firearms is the most contributing factor to suicide in the US, the issue contributes to a range of mental health issues and substance abuse. Specifically, firearms contribute to at least 23,941 deaths annually, and this implies that it causes at least 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2021). Suffocation suicides are also common, leading to a minimum of 13,563 deaths annually. Suicides resulting from suffocation cause a death rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people per year. Additionally, poisoning suicide is the least cause of suicide, claiming more than 6,125 deaths at the rate of 1.9 fatalities per 100,000 population worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2021).
Societal and/or cultural implications of suicide
Isolation is a socio-cultural issue that increases suicide rates. Most people who have limited access to social support groups become more hostile and aggressive. Isolation increases depression, sleep disorders, and hopelessness that deteriorate social relationships and increase suicide risk. However, some people believe that suicide is a cult, and homicide-related suicides are linked to stress and depression, especially among the military. Some youths engage in suicide due to access to dangerous items, such as firearms. However, it is possible to reduce suicide and its related thoughts by increasing watch when possessed with suicidal thoughts, diagnosing and treating psychiatric conditions, and keenly observing young males, more so those that are belligerent and intoxicated. Culture plays a big role in increasing suicide rates in the US. Most citizens from African American and American Indian cultures are more susceptible to suicide due to humiliation, shame, and limited support from family members. In this regard, they feel isolated in all aspects of social and economic life; hence, they are unable to meet their expectations. Such environmental factors increase ideation, and the lack of crisis hotlines, therapists, and support groups can influence the victims’ cultural backgrounds and increase the risk of suicide. Racial groups are at a higher likelihood of suicidal behavior. Most of this population lives in impoverished urban centers, leading to an increased rate of suicide because life is hard in the suburban areas, and this exacerbates existing depression and contributes to the onset of new depressive episodes.
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Social intricacies among African American and Indian American cultures increase the risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In this regard, impoverished social situations exacerbate the adverse experiences of trauma, including those linked to accidents. People who grapple with financial constraints, and cannot escape anxiety and depression by trucking their lives and living their lives despite individual feelings cannot overcome suicidal thoughts. Therefore, they are at a higher risk of suicide and mental illnesses. When they have no one to reach out to in times of difficulties, they develop feelings of hopelessness that increase their suicidal thoughts; hence, losing the sense of direction due to the lack of reason to live. However, suicidal thoughts are something to take seriously regardless of people’s ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
From the foregoing, acculturative stress is a major problem associated with higher levels of suicidal thoughts. However, the rate of suicide varies from one cultural context to the next because they understand emotional stressors differently. Unfortunately, certain cultural groups lack access to mental health services. Some Indian Americans hold certain cultural values that increase stigma and mental health concerns, more so those associated with embarrassment among adolescents. Therefore, suicidal thoughts and ideation are linked to racism because they involve patterns of behavior, including beliefs, attitudes, and institutional arrangements that increase depression, substance use, and hopelessness.
The social setup has a significant influence on individuals’ susceptibility to ideation. Suicide is more prevalent among the poor than the rich because the former is subjected to adverse social and economic disadvantages. Notably, poverty limits people’s access to social opportunities, such as education, employment, and social mobility. Consequently, the victims develop stress, hopelessness, and alienation. They may become exposed to greater violence and victimization with fewer family and community social support systems that cannot protect them against suicidality. Additionally, the social context is a key determinant of suicide rates among low-income populations. For example, people who live in impoverished urban areas are highly exposed to violence and toxic wastes that increase their exposure to adverse environmental conditions coupled with limited opportunities and ethnic discrimination. The lack of social support is a major factor that reduces self-esteem and deteriorates close relationships; hence, exacerbating stress and psychological and physical health. The lack of social networks implies that people are less suited to addressing their psychological and physical health, and they eventually feel alienated and depressed. The lack of group membership implies that individuals lack access to safety nets; hence, they experience stress and trauma linked to emotional, financial, and practical challenges, including those associated with transportation and childcare.
How suicide is related to the models of abnormality
Suicide is related to diverse biological, psychological, and sociocultural issues. Suicide can alter the brain’s chemical balance and interfere with the functioning of the nervous system. Again, it can affect an individual’s psychological well-being by tampering with their personality through stressful occurrences that adversely impact cognition, self-efficacy, and early life experiences. In this regard, suicide can affect the person’s psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic-existential. Additionally, it conflicts with gender orientation, religious orientation, race, ethnicity, and culture. For example, depression has significant adverse impacts on suicide. Generally, mental illness increases the development of suicidal behaviors, and it is the leading cause of suicide-related deaths. A greater percentage of people who commit suicide have a history of mental illness and must have developed symptoms of isolating behaviors.
References
Curtis, D. A., & Kelley, L. J. (2019). Myth-checking: Evaluating Teaching Activities in Abnormal Psychology. North American Journal of Psychology , 21(2), 245-251. Angelo State University Press. https://www-proquest-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/abicomplete/docview/2236690709/fulltextPDF/76B94D99EF8E4BC3PQ/5?accountid=7374
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Suicide and self-harm injury. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm
Esang, M., & Ahmed, S. (2018). A closer look at substance use and suicide. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 13 (6), 6-8. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.130603
