The Factors Behind Suicide
Universally known as the action of taking one's own life, suicide is a problem that has been happening across different communities. It has been a widely researched topic with people like Emile Durkheim, a well-known sociologist, coming up with ideas to explain the complex action. Durkheim added to the topic of suicide that it was not an idea that can be explained solely on individual factors, but it can be based on social factors. Over time, the research in the topic expanded into arguments about ideas like the rationality of suicide, the meanings behind it, risks, and factors that contribute to it.
In the past, there has been information added to the topic
of suicide like were mentioned earlier. One of the contrib-
utors was Richard Brandt who argued that suicide was
an act that could be considered rational (Cowley, 2006).
Others thought that some points were missing in the
argument of Brandt. According to Cowley, it was "future-
oriented" as opposed to rational or irrational (2006,
p.496). These are some of the thoughts that have come
up in the topic of suicide for which we can see in Table 1,
has high rates all around the world. It is something that
one has seen in places like Lithuania where during the
year 1995, there was a 44.0 suicide rate and the United
States an 11.9 (Leenars, 2003, p.133). One can see the
different rates in the various areas. The rates have to do
with different factors that play into the individual's
decision to commit suicide which will be looked at in this
paper.
Suicide is a controversial topic for which people have various opinions. There are people that condemn suicide, others may see it as a brave act, and many see it as not being one or the other. It is important to always try and prevent the act. However, when someone does commit suicide, one should be understanding of the individual. Suicide is not an egotistical act. There are factors to consider when it comes to someone committing suicide. One should take things like sexual orientation, gender, beliefs, culture, religion, and mental health into mind when hearing about such events. These factors need to be taken into consideration to seek out those who are at risk and prevent them from committing suicide.
The Factors
There are several known factors to suicide
that are believed to play a role when some-
one commits suicide. Statistics and details
that support this idea will be presented in
the following pages where different topics
are discussed. The image shows a brief
presentation I have created to show the
findings that will be presented in this paper.
When talking about suicide, one of the
factors to look out for that can potentially
put someone at risk is sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation is something that many
people struggle with. We live in a hetero-
normative society where heterosexuality is
what is seen as “normal”. Anything other than being straight is considered strange or wrong in the eyes of many people. It becomes hard for a person to feel comfortable with who they are if they are part of the LGBTQ community. Suicide in the LGBQ community is more likely to occur in comparison to their heterosexual contemporaries (Hegna & Wichstrøm, 2007; Kralovec, C. Fartacek, R. Fartacek, Plöderl, 2014; Rapaport, 2017). This is saying that higher suicide rates and suicide attempts have been reported for individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning. Rapaport reports in her article that one in four people who identify as part of the LGBQ community attempt suicide (2017). This is twenty-five percent of those who identify as something other than straight. It is unfortunate that so many people have to idealize suicide and see it as the only option because others believe it is deviant, or not normal, behavior. McDermoth, Roen, and Scourfield find that “there is a substantial international body of evidence that highlights the elevated rates of self-destructive behaviours in LGBT youth” (2011). This states that there are behaviors that are connected to sexual orientation, one of which is suicide. These behaviors are harmful to those individuals and may lead to the suicides and attempts that are reported. These individuals feel like they are excluded. They face stigma, and so many negative feelings and actions. In a study, Hegna and Wichstrøm found that a twenty-six percent out of four hundred seven individuals part of the LGBQ group that said they had attempted suicide before (2007). These are about one hundred and five individuals who tried to take their lives away. In an era where we have seen same-sex marriage become legal in the 50 states, we still see how social norms continue to set individuals apart simply because of who they are attracted to or how they identify.
Sexual orientation is a factor that can lead to suicide by itself. However, there is another part to it which is bullying because of the sexual orientation of an individual. This could be seen in different places but primarily in schools. Sexual orientation is a factor that can lead to suicide by itself. However, there is another part to it which is bullying because of the sexual orientation of an individual. This could be seen in different places but primarily in schools. This was the case in a town in Minnesota where eight suicides occurred. Four of the eight were victims struggling with their sexual identity (Eckholm, 2011). The schools were said to have been ignoring bullying cases that had to do with a student’s sexual orientation. The suicide factor in this case of bullying has to
do with the harsh times these individuals must endure. People target them because
of their preference. Bullying can take form in different ways. It can be through name-calling, physical assault, or other ways. Finding oneself and accepting who they are is difficult enough. When one adds being bullied to that, it becomes very difficult for a person to go on with their daily lives and see suicide as the easy or only way out. The fact that we live in a heteronormative society makes sexual orientation something to look out for when coming across the topic of suicide.
Gender can be another factor that one should take into mind when thinking about suicide. There are certain characteristics that make the topic of suicide different in females than in males. To begin with, it is known in psychology as well as everyday life that women are emotional. When briefly asked about suicide and the impact gender makes, Roselia Ramirez, an Early Childhood PhD student part of the Zero to Three organization that works with tribes around the United States, supported this belief. R. Ramirez brought up that "men are logical, women are emotional"(personal communication, April 9, 2018). Women cry, become angry, or react in an emotional way as opposed to acting on an impulse right then and there. This gives them the time to think out the outcomes in the case that they were to commit suicide. Information like this helps with understanding the idea that women are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and attempts, but many suicides do not occur. It all begins from a young age where we see that more attempts occur to adolescent girls (Molina & Duarte, 2006). Another characteristic that differentiates women from men in the taboo subject of suicide is that women are also less violent than men (Cousteaux, Pan Ke Shon, & Jacobs, 2010, p.10). The ways they attempt suicide will reflect this idea since most attempts by women are by "inefficient means"(Cousteaux, Pan Ke Shon, & Jacobs, 2010, p.10). Women are more likely to attempt suicide and have lower rates of actual suicide.
The behavior and characteristics of males when looking at suicide are going to
be different than those of females. The idea of men being logical is going to be
one of the characteristics when looking at the differences between men and
women. Men immediately want to act which in this case leads to them taking
away their own life. The factor of violence plays a part in this as well. Many
male individuals are more violent than females. The ways they take their lives
are more likely to be effective. This would explain the higher rates of suicide
which we see in men. It is also more common to hear men have committed
suicide. We hear names of men in the news, around us, and in other ways.
When watching a TED Talk by Kevin Briggs, a sergeant for the California High-
way Patrol who was on call to the suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge
in San Francisco, the cases one heard of were of men (Briggs, 2014). This only
adds to the fact that the different characteristics men are more at risk of
suicide. It is things like their way of logically thinking, lacking the emotional
factor, and the way they may be more violent that lead to the more effective
ways of committing suicide.
The other factor to consider when looking at an individual who may seem at risk of suicide is marital status.
Looking at whether someone is single, married, or widowed may not seem related, but there is evidence that shows there is a slight correlation between marital status and suicide. The male and female differences will be evident since there are higher rates in males. Table 2 shows the different rates depending on the marital status of an individual. By looking at the marital status individually and not having to do with gender, one can see that being
married has the lowest of the four
statuses and being widowed the highest (Cousteaux, Pan Ke Shon, & Jacobs, 2010). This aspect was also covered in the brief interview
conducted with Roselia Ramirez by myself. Ramirez pointed out that this also has to do with the way of thinking between the genders. The suicide can be seen from the perspective of being logical in the case of men and emotional in the case of women (personal communication, April 9, 2018). The men approach the situation of losing someone logically while women approach it emotionally, but both end up with the same response. The experience of losing someone they love has a high impact on the individual. On the other hand, being married, in the company of a partner keeps the rates of suicide lower in many cases. The idea of being single, married, widowed, or divorced can affect the rates of suicide in men and women. Gender and their marital status is ultimately something to look out for.
The religion of someone can influence greatly what one thinks or does which makes it an affecting factor in suicide. Religion may be a deciding factor on those who may want to commit suicide. Gearing and Lizardi found in their research that it is less likely for those who are devoted to religion to commit suicide, and the countries that are considered to be more religious have lower suicide rates (2009) This is showing there is a connection between religion and the action of committing suicide. It may be for different reasons in each religion. Some religions openly condemn suicide, others are divided with some who are more tolerant than others, and some do not directly condemn and do not openly speak out on their tolerance. Judaism is directly condemning, Hinduism is said to be more tolerant, Christianity is not openly against it or supportive, and Islam is unknown simply because there has not been enough research done in that religion (Gearing & Lizardi, 2009). The different thoughts about suicide are what lead to this difference. In their article, Kralovec, C. Fartacek, R. Fartacek, and Plöderl bring up that religion can help by working indirectly to prevent suicide (2014, p.414). The individuals could be devoted and part of the religion to the point where that could help the individual not try to commit suicide. Some religions can have figures that have committed the act of suicide as an act of bravery and the same can be said about a religion with suicide depicted as cowardly. The opinions are going to vary based on religion. The way a person is connected with religion can be a potential help for preventing suicide.
Mental health is an important topic when talking about suicide. Mental health disorders, specifically mood disorders like depression are things that can be linked with suicidal thoughts, attempts, and actual occurrences. Almost everyone who has committed suicide was mentally ill (Leenaars, 2003; Joiner, 2007). Depression is one of the disorders that have to do with suicide. Depression is being in a state where one feels down and may show a lack of interest in everyday activities. When it comes to the way people are feeling, depression can lead to suicide. People have a feeling of worthlessness with a very low self-esteem which leads to their decision to commit suicide. They are at great risk and get treated. The individuals, if they seek help, are given SSRIs, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors, to treat the depression. It was believed that the medication could have the opposite effects of what was intended and put the individual in danger of suicide. Fortunately, one of the things that has been studied is that antidepressants do not have a negative effect that could worsen the suicidal thoughts and cause a suicide (Pompili, Girardi, Lester, & Tatarelli, 2011). This can be helpful when it comes to people trying to cope and at some point, get rid of depression. Depression is still something to watch out for. The individuals facing depression are at risk of suicide no matter whether they are taking the medication or not.
Mood disorders in general are a great risk for individuals. These mood disorders are depression, which was discussed before, and bipolar disorder. Within each are different diagnoses such as Bipolar l disorder, Mixed Episode, or others in the case of the bipolar disorder. One of the ideas that characterizes these disorders which can make someone diagnosed with a disorder is impulse. These individuals have a mentality where things may be done from one moment to the next. Joiner states in his book that he sees the impulsive behavior as being what lead to painful experiences which then add to the suicidality, or a person's thoughts of actually considering suicide (2007, p.185). This is what happens. Impulse leads to unexpected situations that hurt people emotionally, mentally, and physically which puts a person at risk. Impulse is not the only characteristic. There are other characteristics that go along with mood disorders like a lack of sense of belonging which Joiner also brings up in his book (2007, p.199). It is hard for the individuals to feel like they are part of society sometimes because of the stigma they are forced to face. With this in mind, these individuals go into avoiding social interactions and there self-esteem levels deteriorate. It becomes hard or them to find a purpose making it easy to see suicide as the only way out. This makes looking at the mental health of an individual crucial in order to prevent a tragedy.
Taking all the factors into consideration, it is important to see that suicide is usually not something that happens from one day to the next. There are those times where it does because of an impulse or perhaps an episode that can be associated with a mental disorder, but typically, it takes time for a person to commit suicide. Those who begin to have suicidal thoughts and plans to commit suicide show signs. It may be that they distance themselves from others or sleep too much or too little. Another thing can be how they seem in terms of energy and their emotions. One can notice lower levels of energy as well as sadness. There are things to look out for that can prevent any situations where someone leaves us when it can be stopped.
When something like these signs is spotted,
it is important to help the individuals
thinking about suicide. One of the things
that can be done is to listen to them. It is
very important to support them. Listening
can go a long way. For example, the Ted
Talk that was brought up in earlier para-
graphs talked about the way Officer Briggs
came across a situation where he listened
to the person that was going to jump from
the bridge and stopped him from doing so
(Briggs, 2014). It is very important to listen
to someone when they are in a vulnerable
state. Listening can help them understand
that they are not alone. When talking to
them, one can also try and seek a
professional. Talking to them can work, but
it would help them to see someone who
has the experience. They could find out why and how a response like that happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Other things to do would be helping friends and family understand that their support is needed. There may be different reactions to when something like this happens but trying to get others to understand is ideal. In the case that someone is having suicidal thoughts, they can seek help on their own. There are support groups, professionals, hotlines that one can call to talk to someone, and so many other things. One needs to look for signs and know what to do in case of something like this happening on a personal level, whether it be someone close or that same individual.
Conclusion
The topic of suicide is something that has been researched over the years. One can hear cases of hear about cases all over the world. There are suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, and people who commit suicide. Throughout the paper, there were different factors that contributed to suicide and the risks. These were ideas like gender, sexual orientation, mental health, and religion, culture, and beliefs. More can be said about the topic of suicide. It is important to see that it is a complex subject that has factors that play into why a person is thinking about the action or acting on it. One should sympathize since the factors are not something they are in charge of, but society and life have to do with. One should take a moment to understand what they are doing and to learn about how to help and prevent others from going through with suicide.
References
Joiner, T. E. (2007). Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Manning, J. (2012). Suicide as social control. Sociological Forum, 27(1), 207-227.
Table 1. Shows the different suicide rates in 12 areas. This table can be found in Cousteaux, A.S., Pan Ke Shon, J.L., & Jacobs, A. (2010). Is ill-being gendered? Suicide, risk for Suicide, depression and alcohol dependence. Revue française de sociologie, 51, 3-40.
Figure 1. Shows a picture of the presentation created by me, Nathalie Zavala. To view the presentation that briefly covers this article, click on the image.
Figure 2. Shows an instance of bullying. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Figure 3. A personal firearm. A common way of committing suicide. Taken by Nathalie Zavala, April 08, 2018.
Table 2. Shows the different rates of suicide of men and women in terms of age and marital status. Table can be found in Cousteaux, A.S., Pan Ke Shon, J.L., & Jacobs, A. (2010). Is ill-being gendered? Suicide, risk for Suicide, depression and alcohol dependence. Revue française de sociologie, 51, 3-40.
Figure 4. Shows a sign at the Golden Gate Bridge for those thinking of suicide. It gives the encouragement to seek help. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
To access the sources used to come up with the information click on them below. You will be redirected to a site or have access to the PDF. To view the summaries and rhetorical precis I wrote of the sources, click on "View Annotated References"