Amiga Plus 1995 #2/Amiga Plus CD - 1995 - No. 2.iso/internet/faq/englisch/suicide

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Archive-name: suicide/info
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Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries, in some
cases exceeding deaths by motor vehicle accidents annually.  Many countries
spend vast amounts of money on safer roads, but very little on suicide
awareness and prevention, or on educating people about how to make good life
choices.

Attempts at suicide, and suicidal thoughts or feelings are usually a symptom
indicating that a person isn't coping, often as a result of some event or
series of events that they personally find overwhelmingly traumatic or
distressing.  In many cases, the events in question will pass, their impact can
be mitigated, or their overwhelming nature will gradually fade if the
person is able to make constructive choices about dealing with the crisis when
it is at its worst.  Since this can be extremely difficult, this article is an
attempt to raise awareness about suicide, so that we may be better able to
recognize and help other people in crisis, and also to find how to seek help or
make better choices ourselves.  It is intended to be informative rather than
authoritative, and readers are encouraged to offer feedback, suggestions and
criticisms.

For the following countries, there are companion articles posted alongside this
one listing national crisis assistance resources and other information:
    Country         Newsgroup
    Australia       aus.general


Here are a number of frequently asked questions to help raise awareness and
dispel some of the common myths about suicide:


1. Why do people attempt suicide?

People usually attempt suicide to block unbearable emotional pain, which is
caused by a wide variety of problems.  It is often a cry for help.  A person
attempting suicide is often so distressed that they are unable to see that they
have other options: we can help prevent a tragedy by endeavoring to understand
how they feel and helping them to look for better choices that they could
make.  Suicidal people often feel terribly isolated; because of their distress,
they may not think of anyone they can turn to, furthering this isolation.

In the vast majority of cases a suicide attemptor would choose differently if
they were not in great distress and were able to evaluate their options
objectively.  Most suicidal people give warning signs in the hope that they
will be rescued, because they are intent on stopping their emotional pain, not
on dying.


2. Aren't all suicidal people crazy?

No, being suicidal does not imply that you are crazy.  Acutely distressed
perhaps, but not crazy.

As Appleby and Condonis[1] write:

    The majority of individuals who commit suicide do not have a diag-
    nosable mental illness.  They are people just like you and I who at a
    particular time are feeling isolated, desperately unhappy and alone.
    Suicidal thoughts and actions may be the result of life's stresses and
    losses that the individual feels they just can't cope with.

The idea that suicide is usually due to mental illness is a myth which
unfortunately tends to perpetuate the problem, particularly in our society
where there is much stigma and ignorance regarding mental illness.  A person
who feels suicidal may fear that other people will think they are "crazy" if
they tell them how they feel, and be reluctant to reach out for help in a
crisis.

On the other hand, people who are suffering from a mental illness such as
schizophrenia do have much higher suicide rates, although they are still in the
minority of attemptors.  For these people, having their illness correctly
diagnosed can mean that an appropriate treatment can begin to address their
illness.


3. Doesn't talking about suicide encourage it?

It depends what aspect you talk about.  Talking about the feelings surrounding
suicide promotes understanding and can greatly reduce the immediate distress of
a suicidal person.  In particular, it is OK to ask someone if they are
considering suicide, if you suspect that they are not coping.  If they are
feeling suicidal, it can come as a great relief to see that someone else has
some insight into how they feel.

This can be a difficult question to ask, so here are some possible approaches:
    "Are you feeling so bad that you're considering suicide?"
    "That sounds like an awful lot for one person to take; has it made you
     think about killing yourself to escape?"
    "Has all that pain you're going through made you think about hurting
     yourself?"

Talking exclusively about how to commit suicide can give ideas to people who
feel suicidal, but haven't thought about how they'd do it yet.  Media reports
that concentrate solely on the method used and ignore the emotional backdrop
behind it can tend to encourage copycat suicides.


4. So what sort of things can contribute to someone feeling suicidal?

People can usually deal with isolated stressful or traumatic events and
experiences reasonably well, but when there is an accumulation of such events
over an extended period, our normal coping strategies can be pushed to the
limit.

The stress or trauma generated by a given event will vary from person to
person depending on their background and how they deal with that particular
stressor.  Some people are personally more or less vulnerable to particular
stressful events, and some people may find certain events stressful which
others would see as a positive experience.  Furthermore, individuals deal
with stress and trauma in different ways; the prescence of multiple risk
factors does not necessarily imply that a person will become suicidal.

Depending on a person's individual response, risk factors that may contribute
to a person feeling suicidal include:

    - Significant changes in:
        - Relationships.
        - Well-being of self or family member.
        - Body image.
        - Job, school, university, house, locality.
        - Financial situation.
        - World environment.

    - Significant losses:
        - Death of a loved one.
        - Loss of a valued relationship.
        - Loss of self esteem or personal expectations.
        - Loss of employment.

    - Perceived abuse:
        - Physical.
        - Emotional/Psychological.
        - Sexual.
        - Social.
        - Neglect.


5. How would I know if someone I care about was contemplating suicide?

Often suicidal people will give warning signs, consciously or unconsciously,
indicating that they need help and often in the hope that they will be rescued.
These usually occur in clusters, so often several warning signs will be
apparent.  The presence of one or more of these warning signs is not intended
as a guarantee that the person is suicidal: the only way to know for sure is
to ask them.  In other cases, a suicidal person may not want to be rescued,
and may avoid giving warning signs.

Typical warning signs which are often exhibited by people who are feeling
suicidal include:
 - Withdrawing from friends and family.
 - Depression[2]:
    - Loss of interest in usual activities.
    - Showing signs of sadness, hopelessness, irritability.
    - Changes in appetite, weight, behavior, level of activity or
      sleep patterns.
    - Loss of energy.
    - Making negative comments about self.
    - Recurring suicidal thoughts or fantasies.
    - Sudden change from extreme depression to being `at peace' (may
      indicate that they have decided to attempt suicide).
 - Talking, Writing or Hinting about suicide.
 - Previous attempts.
 - Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
 - Giving away possessions.

This list is not definitive: some people may show no signs yet still feel
suicidal, others may show many signs yet be coping OK; the only way to know for
sure is to ask.  In conjunction with the risk factors listed above, this list
is intended to help people identify others who may be in need of support.

If a person is highly perturbed, has formed a potentially lethal plan to kill
themselves and has the means to carry it out immediately available, they would
be considered likely to attempt suicide.


6. I'm a bit uncomfortable about the topic; can't it just go away?

Suicide has traditionally been a taboo topic in western society, which has led
to further alienation and only made the problem worse.  Even after their
deaths, suicide victims have often been alienated by not being buried near
other people in the cemetery, as though they had committed some utterly
unforgivable sin.

We could go a long way to reducing our suicide rate by accepting people as they
are, removing the social taboo on talking about feeling suicidal, and telling
people that it _is_ OK to feel so bad that you'd think about suicide.  A person
simply talking about how they feel greatly reduces their distress; they also
begin to see other options, and are much less likely to attempt suicide.


7. So what can I do about it?

There usually are people to whom a suicidal person can turn for help; if you
ever know someone is feeling suicidal, or feel suicidal yourself, seek out
people who could help, and keep seeking until you find someone who will listen.
Once again, the only way to know if someone is feeling suicidal is if you ask
them and they tell you.

Suicidal people, like all of us, need love, understanding and care.  People
usually don't ask "are you feeling so bad that you're thinking about suicide?"
directly.  Locking themselves away increases the isolation they feel and the
likelihood that they may attempt suicide.  Asking if they are feeling suicidal
has the effect of giving them permission to feel the way they do, which reduces
their isolation; if they are feeling suicidal, they may see that someone else
is beginning to understand how they feel.

If someone you know tells you that they feel suicidal, above all, listen to
them.  Then listen some more.  Tell them "I don't want you to die".  Try to
make yourself available to hear about how they feel, and try to form a
"no-suicide contract": ask them to promise you that they won't suicide, and
that if they feel that they want to hurt themselves again, they won't do
anything until they can contact either you, or someone else that can support
them.  Take them seriously, and refer them to someone equipped to help them
most effectively, such as a Doctor, Community Health Centre, Counsellor,
Psychologist, Social Worker, Youth Worker, Minister, etc etc.  If they appear
acutely suicidal and won't talk, you may need to get them to a hospital
emergency department.

Don't try to "rescue" them or to take their responsibilities on board yourself,
or be a hero and try to handle the situation on your own.  You can be the most
help by referring them to someone equipped to offer them the help they need,
while you continue to support them and remember that what happens is
ultimately their responsibility.  Get yourself some support too, as you try to
get support for them; don't try to save the world on your own shoulders.

If you don't know where to turn, chances are there are a number of 24 Hour
anonymous telephone counselling or suicide prevention services in your area
that you can call, listed in your local telephone directory.


8. Help?  Counselling?  But isn't counselling just a waste of time?

Certainly it is true that counselling is not a magic cure-all.  It will be
effective only if it empowers a person to build the sort of relationships they
need for long-term support.  It is not a "solution" in itself, but it can be
a vital, effective and helpful step along the way.


9. Talk, talk, talk.  It's all just talk.  How's that going to help?

While it's not a long-term solution in itself, asking a person and having them
talk about how they feel greatly reduces their feelings of isolation and
distress, which in turn significantly reduces the immediate risk of suicide.
People that do care may be reluctant to be direct in talking about suicide
because it's something of a taboo subject.

In the medium and longer term, it's important to seek help to resolve the
problems as soon as possible; be they emotional or psychological.  Previous
attemptors are more likely to attempt suicide again, so it's very important to
get unresolved issues sorted out with professional help or counselling as
necessary.


10. How do telephone counselling services work?

Different services vary in what they offer, but in general you can ring up and
speak anonymously to a counsellor about any sort of problem in a no-pressure
context that's less threatening than a face-to-face session.  Talking the
situation over with a caring, independent person can be of great assistance
whether you're in a crisis yourself, or worried about someone else who is, and
they usually have connections with local services to refer you to if further
help is required.  You don't have to wait until the deepest point of crisis or
until you have a life-threatening problem before you seek help.

Demand for telephone services vary, so the most important thing to remember is
that if you can't get through on one, keep trying several until you do.  You
should usually get through straight away, but don't give up or pin your life on
it.  Many people that feel suicidal don't realize that help can be so close, or
don't think to call at the time because their distress is so overwhelming.


11. What about me; am I at risk?

It's quite likely that some people that read this will one day attempt suicide,
so here's a quick suicide prevention exercise: think of a list of 5 people who
you might talk to if you had no-one else to turn to, starting with the most
preferred person at the top of the list.  Form a "no-suicide contract" with
yourself promising that if you ever feel suicidal you will go to each of the
people on this list in turn and simply tell them how you feel; and that if
someone didn't listen, you'd just keep going until you found someone that
would.  Many suicide attemptors are so distressed that they can't see anywhere
to turn in the midst of a crisis, so having thought beforehand of several
people to approach would help.


12. How does suicide affect friends and family members?

Suicide is often extremely traumatic for the friends and family members that
remain (the survivors), even though people that attempt suicide often think
that no-one cares about them.  In addition to the feelings of grief normally
associated with a person's death, there may be guilt, anger, resentment,
remorse, confusion and great distress over unresolved issues.  The stigma
surrounding suicide can make it extremely difficult for survivors to deal with
their grief and can cause them also to feel terribly isolated.

Survivors often find that people relate differently to them after the suicide,
and may be very reluctant to talk about what has happened for fear of
condemnation.  They often feel like a failure because someone they cared so
much about has chosen to suicide, and may also be fearful of forming any new
relationships because of the intense pain they have experienced through the
relationship with the person who has completed suicide.

People who have experienced the suicide of someone they cared deeply about can
benefit from "survivor groups", where they can relate to people who have been
through a similar experience, and know they will be accepted without being
judged or condemned.  Most counselling services should be able to refer people
to groups in their local area.  Survivor groups, counselling and other
appropriate help can be of tremendous assistance in easing the intense burden
of unresolved feelings that suicide survivors often carry.


13. Hang on; isn't it illegal though?  Doesn't that stop people?

Whether it is legal or not makes no difference to someone who is in such
distress that they are trying to kill themselves.  You can't legislate against
emotional pain so making it illegal doesn't stop people in distress from
feeling suicidal.  It is likely to merely isolate them further, particularly
since the vast majority of attempts are unsuccessful, leaving the attemptor in
a worse state than before if they're now a criminal as well.  In some
countries it is not illegal.


14. But don't people have the right to kill themselves if they want to?

Yes, and it must always remain the person's own responsibility to choose what
they wish to do.  However, helping people to deal with their problems better,
see their options more clearly, make better choices for themselves and avoid
choices that they would normally regret empowers people with their rights; it
does not take their rights away.


15. What Suicide-Prevention resources exist on the Internet?

The Samaritans are a non-religious charity that have been offering emotional
support to the suicidal and despairing for over 40 years by phone, visit and
letter.  Callers are guaranteed absolute confidentiality and retain the right to
make their own decisions including the decision to end their life.  The service
is now available via E-mail, run from Cheltenham, England, and can be reached
from anywhere with Internet access.  Trained volunteers read and reply to mail
once a day, every day of the year.
    E-mail: [e-mail]
    Anonymous E-mail: [e-mail]

A number of electronic self-help groups exist under the alt.support heirarchy
addressing various problems that can contribute to people feeling suicidal, and
providing information about other resources.  alt.support.depression in
particular contains a detailed and excellent Frequently Asked Questions posting
covering many facets of depression.  Note that not all sites carry alt groups.

The suicide-prevention mailing list is an international forum for people
interested or working in the fields of suicide prevention and crisis
counselling on or off the Internet.  Mental health professionals, volunteers
and users of the internet are all welcome to join in and contribute to the
discussion.  Relevant topics include suicidal thoughts, self injury attempts,
completed suicide deaths or survivals and education related to preventing
these.  The list will provide a forum for those who wish to address these
issues in a non judgmental but life affirming environment.  It is suggested
that people seeking emotional support would find one of the support-oriented
mailing lists or the alt.support newsgroup hierarchy more helpful.
    To subscribe, send mail to [e-mail] containing:
        subscribe suicide-prevention your name
    in the body of the message.


Footnotes:
1. "Hearing the cry: Suicide Prevention", Appleby and Condonis, 1990.
    ISBN 0-646-02395-0

2. Not usually or necessarily clinical depression, which is a diagnosable
   mental illness; however, people suffering clinical depression are more
   likely to attempt suicide than the general population.


This article is Copyright 1994 by Graham Stoney, but may be freely
redistributed so long as this copyright message remains intact.