Suicide (from Latinsui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending one's own life. Suicide is sometimes used as a noun for one who has committed or attempted the act.
Suicide can be stigmatized or honored, depending on cultural context and its apparent reasons. Those experiencing suicidal ideation, or thoughts about fatally harming one's self, may struggle to be heard and understood. The person feeling suicidal may often be made to feel rejected and guilty by those they have confided their thoughts and feelings to - sometimes even by mental health professionals - accusing them of trying to hurt the feelings of the friends or family they just confided to, or of making suicide 'threats', or they might indeed be attempting to manipulate others. This can lead to situations wherein relatives and friends of a person who committed suicide without telling anyone then proceed to question why the person never told them. Suicidal ideation may result from the experience of emotional pain outweighing the individual's coping strategies and resources for dealing with that pain. Some would claim that it can arise due to an individual's unwillingness to impose self-discipline and care about others more than him or herself; however, this idea ignores the ever-present emotional agony and feelings of immense hopelessness that many people with suicide ideology feel, and this idea is often used by family or others to instill shame or guilt in a person with suicidal thoughts , in order to avoid a suicide. It may work in some cases, but in others it may only cause a person to continue suffering for the sake of other people, without really addressing their own problems.
The perception of suicide is highly varied between the cultures, religions and legal and social systems of the world. It is considered a sin or immoral act in many religions, and a crime to help someone commit suicide in some countries. On the other hand, some cultures have viewed it as an honorable way to exit certain shameful or hopeless situations. Persons attempting or dying by suicide sometimes leave a suicide note.
Strictly, suicide is defined thusly: the death of the person who commits suicide must be the central component and only intention of the act, rather than a secondary consequence of an act which is centrally motivated by religion, politics, etc.
A suicide attack is an attack carried out on an enemy at the cost of the attacker's life. It is not a suicide in the abovementioned strict sense.
Martyrdom usually escapes religious or legal proscription. Generally, there are only legal consequences when there is death and proof of intent. However, not all follow this narrower definition. Certainly, a suicide bomber knows that death will be part of the outcome of his or her actions.
Defined as above, acts of suicide are necessarily committed only by human beings. No other known healthy organism possesses both the will and the capability to intentionally terminate its own life for the sole sake of death. There is some dispute over this with cases being reported of dolphins in captivity bashing their heads against walls, or not coming up for air. However, there are organisms that intentionally end their lives due to sickness or as a suicide attack.In countries where firearms are readily available, many suicides involve the use of firearms. In fact, just over 55% of suicides committed in the United States in 2001 were by firearmhttp://www.preventsuicidenow.com/suicide-statistics.html. Asphyxiation methods (including hanging) and toxification (poisoning and overdose) are fairly prevalent as well. Each comprised about 20% of suicides in the US during the same time period. Other methods of suicide include blunt force trauma (jumping from a building/bridge or stepping in front of a train for example), bloodletting (slitting one's wrist or throat), self-immolation, electrocution, car collision, and intentional starvation.
In the Warring States Period and the Edo period of Japan, samurais who have disgraced their honor to their lord and master are ordered to commit harakiri (hara = stomach, kiri = cut) or seppuku, a Japanese suicide method in which the samurai takes a sword and slices into his abdomen, causing a fatal injury. The cut is usually performed diagonally from the top corner of the samurai's writing hand.
Heroic suicide, for the greater good of others, is often celebrated. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike to prevent fighting between Hindus and Muslims, and, although he was stopped before dying, it appeared he would have willingly succumbed to starvation. For this, he earned the respect of many.
In the 1960s, Buddhist monks, most notably Thích Quảng Đức, in SouthVietnam gained Western praise in their protests against President Ngô Đình Diệm by burning themselves to death. Similar events were reported in eastern Europe, such as the death of Jan Palach following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In wars, there have been numerous reports of combatants performing suicidal acts in order to save other soldiers. Not everybody would count all these actions as suicides, as the person's death was clearly not the primary purpose. Opponents argue that these people would probably achieve a comparable result by spending the rest of their lives in active struggle.
Hunger strikes have frequently been used as a form of protest by incarcerated persons, and result in death where neither side in the strike gives way.
In the desperate final days of World War II, many Japanese pilots volunteered for kamikaze missions in a last attempt to forestall defeat for the Empire. Similarly in Germany; Luftwaffe squadrons were formed to smash into American B-17s during daylight bombing missions, in order to delay the inevitable Allied victory. The degree to which these pilots were engaging in heroic, selfless action or whether they faced immense social pressure is a matter of historical debate. The Japanese also built one-man "human torpedo" suicide submarines.However, suicide has been fairly common in warfare throughout history. Soldiers and civilians committed suicide to avoid capture and slavery (including a wave of German and Japanese suicides in the last days of World War II). Commanders committed suicide rather than accept defeat. Behavior that could be seen as suicidal occurred often in battle. For instance, soldiers under cannon fire at the Battle of Waterloo took fatal hits rather than duck and place their comrades in harm's way. The Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg in the US Civil War , and the charge of the French cavalry at Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War were assaults that continued even after it was obvious to participants that the attacks were unlikely to succeed and would probably be fatal to most of the attackers. Japanese infantrymen usually fought to the last man, launched "banzai" suicide charges and committed suicide during the Pacific island battles in World War II. In Saipan, Okinawa, civilians joined in the suicides. Suicidal attacks by pilots were common in the 20th century: the attack by U.S. torpedo planes at the Battle of Midway was very similar to a kamikaze attack. Argentinian fighter pilots made suicide attacks on British ships during the Falklands War in 1982.
This particular reference to suicide is also what leads to the everyday usage of the term when indicating a hopeless situation, often in business, such as "it would be suicide for us to go to market without a viable product."
There are arguments in favor of allowing an individual to choose between life and suicide. This view sees suicide as a valid option and a human right and argues that no being should be made to suffer unnecessarily. This view notes that suicide provides an escape from suffering in certain circumstances, such as incurable disease or mental illness, and old age. These theories are most commonly held in Continental Europe, where euthanasia and other such topics are discussed in parliament, unlike the US, with its strong Christian leanings.
This view rejects the widespread belief that suicide is always or usually irrational, saying instead that it is a genuine, albeit severe, solution to real problems – a line of last resort that can legitimately be taken when the alternative is considered worse.
On the other hand, a young and healthy person, free from any major trauma in their past, in their opinion free from any mental disorders, and with a future even regarded as bright by observers, can come to the decision that they don't find life rewarding and that they wish to end their experience then and there. This is usually met with a negative reaction, and these persons are often persuaded from their feelings and beliefs, while others choose to disregard such pressures. Those who ultimately kill themselves under these circumstances might argue that going to heaven, or the "peace of nothingness" that comes with death, is much more appealing than the experiences they expect to have in this world. They may feel too eager for this better state of (non)existence to wait, especially during modern times in which the human lifespan is progressively increasing.
In the past, the Japanese were sometimes ordered by their superiors to commit harakiri, a form of ritual disembowelment suicide. This was expected as a matter of honor where staying alive committed a greater dishonor to their family. They may also have done it as a matter of free choice, also for the sake of honor, and it was considered better than being taken prisoner. Achieving a placid indifference to life or death was considered a state of enlightenment in certain Buddhist traditions.
According to official statistics, about a million people commit suicide annually, more than those murdered or killed in war.
Age and suicide At least in the USA, males over 70 commit suicide more often than younger males. There is no such trend for females. Older non-Hispanic white men are much more likely to kill themselves than older men or women of any other group, which contributes to the relatively high suicide rate among whites. White men in their 20s, conversely, kill themselves only slightly more often than black or Hispanic men in the same age group.
Season and suicide People commit suicide more often during spring and summer. The idea that suicide is more common during the winter holidays (including Christmas in the northern hemisphere) is actually a myth.Since crime just prior to suicide is often perceived as being without consequences, it is not uncommon to combine homicide with suicide. Motivations may range from guilt, to evading punishment, to insanity, to killing others as part of a suicide pact.
Many suicidal people participate in suicidal activities which do not result in death. These activities fall under the designation attempted suicide or parasuicide. Generally, those with a history of such attempts are almost 23 times more likely to eventually end their own lives than those without.. Statistics have shown that 4 in every 10 people , who think about suicide, finally do commit. Most countries have introduced special facilities such as "the lifeline" which is aimed at helping those who are at the brink of suicide. There are also workshops, which are being carried out and have the same aim. In these workshops, you can speak to trained professionals and motivational speakers who will do all that are possible to help you.
It is estimated that an average of six people are affected for each suicide in the United Stateshttp://www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=6. As with any death, family and friends of a suicide victim feel grief associated with loss. However, these "survivors" are often overwhelmed with psychological trauma as well, given that most suicides are unforseeable and sudden. This trauma can leave survivors feeling guilty, angry, remorseful, helpless, and confused. It is difficult for survivors because many of their questions as to why the victim felt the need to take his or her own life are left unanswered. Furthermore, many survivors feel that they have failed or that they should have intervened in some way. Given the complex set of emotions associated with a loved one's suicide, survivors usually find it difficult to discuss the death with others and thus feel isolated from their own network of family and friends. In addition, survivors begin to feel hesitant in forming new relationships http://www.faqs.org/faqs/suicide/info/.
"Survivor groups" can offer counseling and help bring many of the issues associated with suicide out into the open. They can also help survivors reach out to their own friends and family who may be feeling similarly and thus begin the healing process. In addition, counseling services and therapy can provide invaluable support to the bereaved. There are also online support groups that provide a forum for discussion amongst survivors of suicide (see Support Groups for Survivors under External Links section below).
* Frederick, C. J. Trends in Mental Health: Self-destructive Behavior Among Younger Age Groups. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. 1976. ED 132 782. * Lipsitz, J. S., Making It the Hard Way: Adolescents in the 1980s. Testimony presented to the Crisis Intervention Task Force of the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. 1983. ED 248 002. * McBrien, R. J. "Are You Thinking of Killing Yourself? Confronting Suicidal Thoughts." SCHOOL COUNSELOR 31 (1983): 75–82. * Ray, L. Y. "Adolescent Suicide." Personnel and Guidance Journal 62 (1983): 131–35. * Rosenkrantz, A. L. "A Note on Adolescent Suicide: Incidence, Dynamics and Some Suggestions for Treatment." ADOLESCENCE 13 (l978): 209–14. * Suicide Among School Age Youth. Albany, NY: The State Education Department of the University of the State of New York, 1984. ED 253 819. * Suicide and Attempted Suicide in Young People. Report on a Conference. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1974. ED 162 204. * Teenagers in Crisis: Issues and Programs. Hearing Before the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. House of Representatives Ninety-eighth Congress, First Session. Washington, DC: Congress of the U. S., October, 1983. ED 248 445. * Smith, R. M. Adolescent Suicide and Intervention in Perspective. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Boston, MA, August, 1979. ED 184 017.
Nonfiction books
* Bongar, B. The Suicidal Patient: Clinical and Legal Standards of Care. Washington, D.C.: APA. 2002. ISBN 1557987610 * Stone, Geo. Suicide and Attempted Suicide: Methods and Consequences. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001. ISBN 0-7867-0940-5 * Humphry, Derek. Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying. Dell. 1997. * Joiner, Thomas E. (2006). Why People Die by Suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
* American Association of Suicidology - Referrals to local self help groups for survivors of suicide across the United States * Heartbeat - Mutual support for those who have lost loved ones to suicide * SOLOS - Survivors of Loved Ones Suicides, offers various e-mail based support groups * SOLES - Survivors of Law Enforcement Suicide * International Friends and Families of Suicide - Online support for survivors internationally * Parents of Suicide - Support via chatrooms and email for those who have lost sons or daughters to suicide
