Suicidal thoughts and acts have several causes and the specific one for any given victim depends on various factors including; their socio-economic status, gender, age, culture, religious beliefs, and mental health among others. Mental health is a common underlying cause of suicidal tendencies and many suicidal people experience feelings of hopelessness, depression, stress, hallucinations or delusions. Alcohol and drug abuse also increase the prevalence of suicide. It is important to know these risk factors and identify other warning signs that may indicate a person’s intent to take their life as it can help prevent them from doing so. According to my Christian viewpoint, it is a sin to commit suicide and God expects much more from us. He recognizes that life can be difficult but still expects us to trust Him and never give up. Despite the many deaths that result from suicide, many more people attempt but fail to succeed at taking their lives. Therefore, suicide prevention is crucial as it helps prevent these people from attempting to take their lives by responding to the underlying causes. The U.S government needs to respond to this crisis by implementing the recommended strategies which would help provide support to people who are at high risk of committing to suicide.
Introduction
Hopelessness is a vice that can consume one from the inside out and cause them to give up their need to survive so that they commit suicide. Suicide refers to intentionally causing one’s own death and has become increasingly common on the current age due to various socio-cultural pressures that we currently face ( Kazdin, 2000) . Suicide is one of the largest public health problems in the United States and is the 10 th leading cause of death among Americans (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2018). The suicide rate has increased by 30% in at least half the states in the last two decades and the 10-34 year age group is the most affected by this problem (U.S Department of Health and Human Services & National Institutes of Health, 2019). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.3 million adults made suicide attempts every year, where among them, one in five actually succeeded (Parekh, 2018). Furthermore, Suicide is a global health problem where according to the World Health Organization (2018), up to 800,000 people die annually from this cause. Although suicide is widespread in the United States and has various socio-economic and biological causes, it can be prevented by implementing various effective strategies that offer support to those who are feeling hopeless.
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There are various demographic variations in suicide and suicide attempts. In the United States, men are thrice as likely to attempt suicide and more likely to succeed at it than women do ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, & National Institutes of Health, 2019) . This may be due to the fact that men usually go for lethal means that cause the most physical damage while women prefer more subtle methods. Among people aged above 10, African Americans are the least likely to commit suicide, followed by Hispanics while Asian-Americans and white people top the list as the most likely to resort to suicide ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, & National Institutes of Health, 2019) . This disparity can be explained to the different cultural practices that embody each group where the first two groups have communities that are communal and give a lot of social support during adversity and provides healthy ways to cope with stress. On the other hand in some Asian cultures such as the Japanese, suicide is socially accepted where people are allowed to take their own lives in ritual practices such as Seppuku (Wingfield-Hayes, 2015). White society is individualistic and people ideally lack the social mechanisms that could help them cope with distress and thus prevent suicide. However, in children below the age of ten, whites are less likely to commit suicide as compared to African Americans.
There are several ways that people choose to use to commit suicide and the most common one in America is the use of firearms. The availability of firearms in American homes makes them the most available weapons for self-harm where they are used in approximately half of all suicides (Goldsmith, Pellmar, Kleinman, & Bunney, 2002). Other methods include overdosing on drugs, poisoning, jumping from high places, slitting one’s major blood vessels, jumping in front of moving objects, hanging, and drowning among others (Parekh, 2018). Suicide is a devastating last resort to a hectic life. The human being is built to always seek out survival, many people often feel overwhelmed and in need of a way out. Nevertheless, suicide is preventable as long as one understands the causal and risk factors and recognizes the warning signs of a person who is contemplating to take their lives (Parekh, 2018).
Causal and Risk Factors
One’s view on suicide can largely influence the ease with which they resort to it. For instance, in cultures where suicide can be tolerated, more people find ways to justify the practice. For instance in Japanese culture, Seppuku is a ritual practice where Samurais would commit suicide by disembowelment as a way to achieve honor in what would otherwise have been a dishonorable death, especially when these warriors had committed serious offences (Wingfield-Hayes, 2015). This practice has made suicide seem like an honorable thing to do even among those who are not samurai warriors and as a result, the country records the highest suicide rates of any developed nation in the words at 21.4 every 100,000 people ( World Health Organization, 2015) .
In other cultures such as various African communities, suicide is seen as unholy and as a sign of weakness as a person should have internal toughness and thus be able to derive the strength to face even their most adverse experiences. In such cultures, taking one’s life is frowned upon and people are made to understand the value of life leading to significantly lower suicide rates among African societies (BBC, 2019). In the white culture, a person is made to believe that their lie is their own and they can do with it as they wish without any significant consequence to those around them. There is not communal sense that makes one want to preserve their life for the sake of the larger society. People also have to face life problems on their own which can lead to despair when they cannot find solutions.
Religious practices can also influence how one views the acceptability of suicide (Parekh, 2018). For instance, in the Hindu tradition called Sati expected a widow to set herself on fire on her husband’s funeral as a show of affection and devotion and before it was outlawed by the British, many women would engage in this ritual, willingly and forcibly. Other religions like justify some forms of suicide, where the act is viewed with an air of martyrdom. For instance, it is said about Islamic suicide bombers that they believe that their sacrifice is part of their religious struggle or Jihad and that they shall be rewarded when they go to heaven in this way.
The media and especially the internet play a major role in the way suicidal practices are viewed in America. People are consuming media content more than ever before and the ideas depicted here have a real effect on people’s lives (U.S Department of Health and Human Services & National Institutes of Health, 2019). Suicide has been romanticized by entertainment and this makes a lot of people, especially teenagers who are easily impressionable engage suicidal thoughts. For instance, take the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet which was written by William Shakespeare and has been reread for over four centuries. Both these characters commit suicide in an act of love as they would rather have been dead than be without each other. This idea has been redistributed in various forms and it is therefore not uncommon to see a young person taking their life because they have been rejected by a love interest.
The way that people share content regarding suicide also matters. For instance, there was an online game that began in 2016 called the Blue Whale Challenge where fifty tasks were set in 50 days for teenagers to complete. The final task usually involved committing suicide and several teenagers died as a result. The fact that the young generation spends more of their time and efforts on the virtual world makes them prone to such nonsense as the blue whale challenge and they can end up causing themselves harm. Films and TV Shows that depict ways to commit suicide as well as celebrity role models that take their own lives can also negatively influence the youth into thinking that it is okay to commit suicide.
Rational suicide refers to the reasoned taking of one's own life and includes practices such as euthanasia and assisted suicide which are accepted practices in some places (Kazdin, 2000). These practices are supported by a legal right especially when a person has a poor quality of life and they would suffer less by dying. Altruistic suicide refers to the practice of taking one’s life to benefit others, for instance, when an ailing relative commits suicide to reduce the financial burden that their disease is causing the family (Kazdin, 2000). Mass suicides are usually committed by a group of people who have given up their autonomy to a leader and the victims are usually subject to various social pressures (Kazdin. 2000). For example in a cult, a suicide pact may be made where followers agree to take poison in a ceremony as they have been convinced that this act is either beneficial to them or their leader.
There are also situations where people use suicide as a form of escape from situations that they find oppressive and continuing to live would be intolerable. For instance, prisoners often commit suicide rather than spend years in prison. During the holocaust, many Jewish prisoners committed suicide to escape the horrors of their prosecution. Therefore, the specific cause of suicide varies with the person and their circumstance. However, there are risk factors that increase the prevalence of occurrence and warning signs to look out for that can identify a potential suicide victim.
Risk Factors
There are various risk factors that increase the likelihood that one will commit suicide and at the top of this list is mental illness ( Parekh, 2018) . Psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, impulse-control disorders, personality disorders, depression, and bipolar disorder are risk factors. Some of this disorders such as depression, bipolar and some personality disorders can make a person feel isolated and they lose hope and purpose so that they feel that the only way out is by taking their lives. Such people often feel like it would not matter whether or not they existed and that hope that dying would take away the constant feeling of sadness and despair. Other mental illnesses such as impulsive-control disorders contribute to suicide because the impulsive behavior that the person is engaged in causes them extreme stress ( Parekh, 2018) . For instance, a gambling addict may take their life because their behavior has destroyed their personal relationships and put them in financial difficulties and they do not see a way out.
A significant predicator for suicide is a prior attempt to take one’s life. People who have tried to commit suicide and failed are more likely to try again, especially if the underlying cause of their despair is not addressed ( Parekh, 2018 ). Substance abuse is a risk factor for suicide as it impairs one’s judgment. For instance, drugs that induce hallucinations can be responsible for a person committing suicide. Family history, availability of means to take one’s life, age, brain trauma, social pressures and culture are also significant risk factors. Research has found that in America, suicide attempts are more common in households with firearms than those without (Goldsmith, Pellmar, Kleinman, & Bunney, 2002). There is also an undeniable trend in how ethnicity, race, age and gender affect suicidal tendencies and these are also considered to be risk factors for suicide.
Socio-economic strife can also be a risk factor for poverty. Suicide rates are significantly higher in communities and countries where the levels of poverty, homelessness, and discrimination are also higher (Parekh, 2018). People fall into despair and feel that they have no solutions to their problems. War veterans are also at high risk of committing suicide due to physical problems and severe injuries related to war as well as post-traumatic stress disorder which is often experienced after witnessing the horrors of war.
Warning Signs of Suicide
There are several warning signs that one should look out for to identify a person that is at risk of committing suicide. At least 70% of people who commit suicide give some sort of clue or warning side before making the attempt on their life. These include frequently talking or writing about death, suicide or dying can indicate an obsession with the idea of taking one’s life (Parekh, 2018). When a person often makes comments about feeling worthless, hopeless or helpless, they are likely to try and end it through suicide and their comments should therefore not be dismissed as mare pessimism. A person who is often expressing their desire to escape this life by making comments such as, “I do not belong here” or “I want out” should be taken seriously as well.
Reckless behavior such as driving too fast, drug abuse, and risky sexual behavior, that seems to be done without considering the consequences is another warning sign for suicide, especially if the behavior is not typical of the person (Parekh, 2018). Such people have lost their sense of self-preservation and they do not care if their behavior leads to death; perhaps they are even hoping that it does. Potential suicide victims may exhibit dramatic mood swings and often talk about feeling trapped in their lives or as though they are a burden to others.
Another important warning sign is the increase in alcohol or drug intake and abuse (Jaffe, Robinson, & Seagal, 2018). People who are contemplating suicide are desperately unhappy with their lives and they may try to dull their despair by seeking a temporary high in drugs. Drugs may also impair their judgment and give them the courage they need to take their lives so this should not be taken lightly. Withdrawal from the community, family, and friends can be an indicator that someone is suicidal because they are probably seeking isolation from the people that would most likely be hurt if they committed suicide (Parekh, 2018; Jaffe, Robinson, & Seagal, 2018). They do not want anything to hold them back so they isolate themselves from anyone that may try to stop their attempts. All these warning signs are important to note and people that exhibit them should not be left alone; rather, efforts should be made to get them help.
My Christian Viewpoint
Being a Christian, matters of life and death remain of vital importance and there are several debates out there on how Christians should regard these issues. Regarding suicide, the debate remains whether or not God can forgive those that take their own lives or whether such people are doomed to hell. On one side people debate that committing suicide is not a cause for eternal damnation because salvation is unconditional and it covers one even when they are dead despite the cause of their death. I however, disagree with this perception as I believe that it is a way for the victim’s loved ones to console themselves and get conviction that their beloved will not spend eternity in hell.
In the book of Genesis 1: 26 (The New King James Version), “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: …” and in verse 27 (The New King James Version), “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” This is the Christian story of creation in which life is a gift that is given to man divinely. Considering that we are created in the likeness of God, I believe that it is a gross violation of this honor to commit suicide because it is harming God’s likeness ("What the Bible says about suicide, 2018). It hurts the father for a person to reject a gift that was so freely given especially because we as human beings have been given the divine right to be on this earth and have dominion over it. We are mandated to conquer life and even though it gets hard sometimes, we have the tools and resilience to make it work.
Take the example of Jesus. The bible says in John 1: 4 (The New King James Version), “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Jesus left his throne to become like man so that he could show us how to live in this sinful and condemned world. His life was the light of men as he was meant to be a guide to salvation. He said in John 14:6 (The New King James Version) “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”, which is to mean that we can find salvation by following in his example. Jesus lived a stressful life; he had to keep himself holy while living in a world full of sin. He was rejected by the very people he was trying to save and he was falsely accused for things he did not do. All this while, he knew his fate and by virtue of having a human body, felt despair as much as any of us might in such a situation. In fact, while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked the Father whether he could consider taking away from him the cup of suffering, yet he recognized the will of God in his turmoil.
I believe as Christians, we should strive to follow the examples of Jesus. Life can be difficult sometimes but there is always a higher purpose that is ordained by God and we only need to ask for strength to endure and have faith in the divine purpose ("What the Bible says about suicide”, 2018). Even when we feel rejected and hopeless, we should remember that we are all created in God’s likeness and have dominion over the earth. Everyone is created for a special purpose and when one commits suicide, they cut their mission short and rob the world of a great idea or solution ("What the Bible says about suicide”, 2018). Christianity teaches love and while it is important to love our neighbors, Jesus said that we should use our love for ourselves as a reference point for loving others.
Ultimately, we are mandated to do only those things that glorify the Lord and considering that one of the Ten Commandments is to not kill, I refute the idea that it is okay to commit suicide. This act violates the trust that God has bestowed on us to care for our earthly bodies and be fruitful in the earth. However, my opinion does not disprove or disregard how difficult life can be or the many factors that are seemingly out of our control that can cause one to despair and lose hope in life. My opinion simply enforces the idea that there are alternatives to despair and trusting in God and loving him can help one get through many life problems without giving up.
The Bible says that we shall be made to account for our actions and how we spent our time on earth and my rationale is that people who commit suicide will have much to answer. Why did they choose to end instead of seek God’s help. It is however sad that many people who commit suicide do not even know God or that Christianity can be an answer to their despair. Nevertheless, for those that understand the value that God has placed on the Human life, that he gave his only son to die so that man could be saved, it is clear that it is not God’s will for people to despair and commit suicide. Therefore, from a Christian viewpoint I believe that it is wrong to commit suicide.
Prevention and Intervention
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) suicide is a world-wide public health problem that affects people from all age groups. Evidence-based interventions can be effectively implemented at national, communal, and individual levels to prevent the occurrence of suicide in our communities. The facts show that even though as many as 800,000 people die annually from suicide for every successful attempt, there are at least 20 failed ones (World Health Organization, 2018). These numbers show that there is a real problem that requires to be addressed from its roots by ensuring that the causative and risk factors for suicidal tendencies are addressed.
Many people who are at the brink of committing suicide have already made up their minds and cannot be talked out of it . Kevin Briggs who was a patrol officer along the Golden Bay Bridge in San Francisco gave a Ted Talk in May 2014 regarding how it is like to try and save a person from jumping to their death. He makes several important points. First he points out how extremely difficult it is to prevent a person from committing suicide because in their minds, they know that you do not understand their situation and they therefore see no reason to listen (Briggs, 2014). He also points out that at times there is lack of knowledge on how to deal with such a situation and it often requires psychology training to be able to talk a person down. Briggs (2014) says that most people that jumped the bridge and survived said that they regretted jumping the minute they did and that for most of them, they just want to feel that someone cares and is there for them. Nevertheless, some people still go through with it despite best efforts to save them, but this does not mean that no one can be saved.
One important step in suicide prevention is recognizing the warning signs that have been discussed earlier in this essay. There are those who believe that people who are constantly talking about giving up and their wish to die are simply seeking attention and they do not really intend to do it; that people that really mean to commit suicide just do it without handing out threats (U.S Department of Health and Human Services & National Institutes of Health, 2019). The truth is, even in the most subtle ways, people who are contemplating suicide try to reach out to those close to them and find a reason to stay but they are usually not taken seriously and are this dismissed. Suicide warning signs should not be ignored and as derived by Kevin Briggs’ experience at the San Francisco bridge, most people just want someone who can listen to them and help them untangle the mess that is in their mind so that they can rediscover their purpose for living amid the despair (Briggs, 2014).
Staying aware of various risk factors can also help reduce the occurrence of suicide. Most significant is the monitoring of people that are suffering from mental illness. Such victims may not be fully in control of their thought process and may easily resort to irrational solutions to their issues such as taking their own lives (Jaffe, Robinson, & Seagal, 2018). Ensuring that the right medication dosage as well as therapy sessions are followed can help prevent a loved one from relapsing into suicidal thoughts so that they can discover a positive outlook on life. As for people whose suicidal tendencies are driven by culture or religious beliefs, there is little that can be done apart from trying to establish the sanctity of life in such societies so that their members can understand the devastating effects of suicide of their relatives, communities and nations in general.
Crisis hotlines can be set up so that people who are in the verge of taking their lives or those around them that notice their intentions can easily access help (U.S Department of Health and Human Services & National Institutes of Health, 2019). Such hotlines should include access to health care professionals, emergency services, and mental health care professionals. Skills such as problem solving and conflict resolution can also help to talk someone out of taking their own life by showing them that there are alternative ways to solve their problems (Parekh, 2018).
Easy access to means and weapons of committing suicide is one of the biggest contributors to a high suicide rate (Goldsmith, Pellmar, Kleinman, & Bunney, 2002). For instance, in communities where gun possession is a norm, people are more likely to shoot themselves. Similarly, people who engage in suicide bombing attacks usually have access to explosives. Therefore, having laws that restrict access to such weapons can help to prevent their prevalence.
One of the greatest obstacles to preventing suicide is stigma as it prevents people who are in crisis from seeking much needed help (Goldsmith, Pellmar, Kleinman, & Bunney, 2002). Especially when a person has already attempted suicide before and failed, they may be afraid of what people will think when they discover that they are still contemplating it and thus shy away from seeking support. Civic education can therefore help to sensitize people on the dangers of stigmatizing people with suicidal tendencies. In these forums, the public can also be taught coping and problem solving skills that may reduce the tendency to resort to despair (Goldsmith, Pellmar, Kleinman, & Bunney, 2002). According to the Centre for Disease Control, a comprehensive health care approach to suicide which identifies the underlying causes in a community and gives people unlimited access to community resources that offer treatment and support can be an effective tool in suicide prevention (Parekh, 2018; CDC, 2018).
Conclusion
Suicide is a devastating phenomenon that affects people across the life span all over the world. It is the absence of the will to survive and the need to escape a situation by ending one’s life. There are several causal and risk factors that increase the likelihood of suicide and they include mental illness, cultural and religious beliefs, access to weapons, a previous suicide attempt, drug and alcohol abuse, and family history among others. While it may be hard to convince someone to stay alive, noticing the warning signs can help prevent suicide before it occurs by getting a person the help they need to give up their despair. Currently, the United States does not have enough resources to cater for the suicide crisis that has enveloped the country. However, there is still hope as several effective mechanisms have been identified that can help solve this problem. They include civic education against stigma, gun and lethal weapons control, social support programs and improved access to mental health care.
References
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Goldsmith, S. K., Pellmar, T. C., Kleinman, A. M., & Bunney, W. E. (2002). Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative . Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Jaffe, J., Robinson, L., & Seagal, J. (2018, March 21). Are You Feeling Suicidal? Retrieved from HelpGuide website: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/are-you-feeling-suicidal.htm/
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What the Bible says about suicide. (2018, June 12). CBN.com Retrieved from http://www1.cbn.com/what-bible-says-about-suicide
Wingfield-Hayes, R. (2015, July 3). Why does Japan have such a high suicide rate? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-33362387
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