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The question “what is suicide” is a major point in so many discussions about mental health. The rising discussions on suicide are a result of the ever-growing tension in society as cases of depression and suicide remain on the increase. There seems to be a problem somewhere which is not yet recognized because despite measure taken towards suicide prevention, there is little or no improvement. A good understanding of the meaning of suicide, the causes and symptoms will go a long way to clear the ground towards alleviating the situation.
What is Suicide: Meaning of the Word Suicide
The word suicide is a coinage from two Latin words ‘sui’ – oneself and ‘cidere’ – to strike down/ to kill. Suicide is the deliberate killing of oneself. The word deliberate is important in the definition of Suicide because a person can kill himself without intending to do so. In that case it is not suicide. Suicide involves a conscious act of making plans to end one’s own life and it is usually voluntary.
Whether a person is being acted upon by an external force or not, if a person eventually kills himself, it is suicide. There are cases where several people who attended a lecture by a particular philosopher named Hegesias killed themselves thereafter. He was known as the death persuader and was banned in several cities from delivering any public lectures. His book Death by Starvation was also banned and did not survive except in commentaries in other works.
Causes of Suicide
There are several causes of suicide but all usually begin with depression. It usually follows a pattern, although not defined, but recognizable. Suicide usually begins with a trigger which leads to depression, suicidal thoughts and eventually depression. One or more of these below may be the cause of suicide:
#1 Feeling like a burden on family and society
Some people fall into extreme depressive thoughts that make them feel like they are a burden on other persons in society. This is usually the case when one is afflicted with one severe illness or another or bedridden for a long while. These persons are unable to help themselves and depend on the help of other people to eat, bath etc. They may feel like they are doing something good for the society by taking their own lives and liberating those saddled with the responsibility of taking care of them.
This points to the ability not just to give help but to receive help. Some people have not developed the ability to let other people help them. As such, at the critical moments of their lives when they just need to allow other people help them live through, they may try to run away from such scenario by ending their own lives. This is not a positive thing because most of those who are taking up the task of watching over them are doing so wholeheartedly out of love.
#2 Life disasters
Life disasters include events that tend to shatter one’s life which has taken a relatively long time to build. This can include the loss of one’s building or other properties, loss of a job or an investment, loss of a loved one, broken relationships etc. These situations can lead one into depression and eventually into suicide. What is considered at the time of figuring out whatever the disaster is that has befallen one is usually the length of time or amount of energy put into building what has been shattered by the disaster. Most times, the judgment of whether or whether not an event can lead one to commit suicide is dependent on the weight the event has from the perspective of the concerned individual.
Apart from natural disasters, there are other events that can affect a whole group entirely. A pandemic just like the COVID-19 can displace an economy and affect individuals in a number of ways. It is true that there is a general ideology of the effects that pandemics, natural disasters and wars can come with, however, every individual’s situation is unique and some people feel the heat more than others. Therefore, it can be the cause of suicidal thoughts for one who is weighed down by these occurrences.
#3 Mental health issues
Some of the mental issues come along with hallucinations that may trigger the mind to have a different view of the world. In this situation, the individual is trapped inside the world created by hallucinations and he begins to act as though being controlled by forces beyond him. Sometimes, the manner of speech shows that there is a different activity going on in his mental state and which he believes as real. This can get to the point where the world is despised and all efforts from the patient will be to embrace the world in his head through suicide.
Those who have mental health patients are prone to commit suicide because their mental states are already affected. They seem to have a greater chance of slipping into suicidal thoughts because they interact less with the physical world and want to leave it as soon as they can. Sometimes, the mental issues make them feel insecure amidst other people. They cannot stay calmly around others because they feel threatened by their presence. Within a space of time, they begin to doubt that they are meant to be in this world and finally may end up killing themselves to get free from world and all its troubles.
#4 Financial Crisis
When people begin to get so much responsibilities especially in the area of finance, they begin to seek ways to solve them by making money. However, when these means prove abortive, then comes to flight instinct and the individual suddenly wants to run away from all his responsibilities forever. This is when suicide will be considered as a way of putting an end to endless struggles to manage financial responsibilities.
An example of this situation is a family man with children who gets fired from his job. He does not have enough savings and is unable to get a job within the next few months. Sooner or later, the responsibilities of household rent, children’s school fees and other maintenance fees will begin to engulf him. Depending on his mental strength, he may end up taking his own life as a way of running away from the shame of not being able to fulfil responsibilities and the struggle of being unsuccessful in his efforts.
#5 Societal Pressure and Shame
For some reasons, sometimes the pressure in society tends to be directed to a few individuals and attention is given to them, monitoring and judging their every move. On the other hand, individuals can feel that the society is putting pressure on them even if it is not true. This puts these individuals out of their nature as they have to act cautiously all the time to avoid criticism from people. Sometimes, the pressure is out of xenophobic tendencies or racial characteristics. In this case, certain people are stigmatized and treated awkwardly in society. As a result, these people stay reserved and have to put in twice the work in order to survive in society.
Shame can also lead to suicide because each person has a boundary of shame. When someone does an act which he considers as shameful, he may have the thoughts to kill himself. Also, when an individual’s boundary of shame is crossed and the person is abused in one way or the other, there is a tendency to also tilt towards suicide. It is relative in every individual as some have a stronger mental capacity to endure than other people while others have less.
What does it mean to be suicidal or who is a suicidal person?
A suicidal person is one who is undergoing grave depression and is considering to end his or her own life. A suicidal person is in a suicide crisis and at the verge of ending life. These are shown through suicidal symptoms that will be listed below. Before one becomes suicidal, depression must have taken place and a prolonged depression is then the result of being suicidal.
Symptoms of a Suicidal Person
The symptoms of suicide can already be traced from the symptoms of depression since it is depression that eventually leads to suicidal thoughts. Below are some of the common symptoms associated with suicide:
- Shuts off social communication and spends more time alone.
- Appears sad and gloomy most of the time.
- Speaks about the other side (heaven, hell or the spiritual realm)
- Speaks about death and the feeling of death
- Acts awkwardly as though existing on another plane
- Writes dark poems and essays
- Speaks in a dark manner even in the common situations
- Talks so much about how much people cannot understand what he or she is passing through.
Conclusion
In this article, the meaning, causes and symptoms of suicide have been given adequate attention. Suicide prevention has been discussed in a different post as it is a very important aspect in the discussion of suicide. It is not just important to know all about the meaning, causes and symptoms of suicide but also to know how to prevent suicide. There will also be available tips on how to help a suicidal person because some people fall into confusion when they encounter people who are actually suicidal. This confusion may lead them to make mistakes and be unable to help the individual who is suicidal.