In-depth analysis of suicidal behavior: motivational methods and characteristics of quasi-suicidal behavior

It has been said that if a small switch on your arm allowed you to die instantly and painlessly, everyone might commit suicide sooner or later. Many people contemplate ending their lives time and again. But real suicides are not just fleeting thoughts. It is estimated that 250,000 people attempt suicide each year in the United States. In 1984, nearly 30,000 people successfully committed suicide-including 23,000 men. The suicide rate for men is more than three times that of women. In some areas, the majority of suicide victims are young men aged 15 to 24. Some experts attribute this to economic conditions, pointing out that increased job competition and unemployment have created difficult circumstances. Disrupted family values, promiscuity, and increased drug and alcohol abuse are also contributing factors to the high suicide rate. But whatever the cause, depression and stress contribute to the high suicide rate, and this must be addressed as a significant public health issue. Why do so many people, especially men, contemplate suicide? Alcoholism, prevalent among men, is a major predictor of suicide: 50% of all suicides are related to alcohol consumption. Suicide is also closely linked to depression, especially untreatable depression. Clinically, 15% of people with depression eventually commit suicide. Other studies have shown a strong correlation between suicide and the loss of a parent due to death, divorce, or separation. There is also evidence that close relatives of the individual who commits suicide are significantly more prone to suicide. Suicide rates among twins and first-degree relatives suggest a genetic factor in suicide. Suicide experts have also reported that patients with low levels of serotonin, the brain's chemical transporter, are more likely to commit suicide or attempt suicide than those with normal serotonin levels. Suicidal individuals exhibit the "three Hs" of hapless, helpless, and unable to change themselves or their lives, and hopeless about the future. Some people commit suicide because they feel abandoned, sad, or angry, or want compensation from close friends; others commit suicide impulsively or out of a sense of shame. Throughout history, suicide has been used to preserve reputation, express loyalty, or save the lives of others. For centuries, many people have committed suicide after learning they have a terminal illness. The methods of suicide vary depending on the motivation. Historically, the Greeks drank poisoned ginseng juice, and the Romans fell by the edge of a sword or slit their wrists in hot baths. In the 18th century, gentlemen ended their lives with pistols, while the lower classes hanged themselves. Later, drowning became fashionable alongside cheap poisons like arsenic and strychnine. In modern times, drugs and household gas are painless and relatively easy methods of suicide. In the United States, light weapons remain the most common method of direct suicide for men, followed by hanging, strangulation, and asphyxiation. The peak "season" for suicide is March, April, and May. This also reflects a similar pattern in some people's depressive episodes: they seem particularly sensitive to lack of light and seasonal changes. A complete suicide attempt is merely the peak of the suicide glacier. For every successful attempt, there may be ten unsuccessful ones; for every complete suicide attempt, two or three attempts go unnoticed. Suicide statistics miss unrecorded single-person car accidents, deaths from alcohol poisoning, deaths from drug overdoses, deaths from heart disease refusing to quit smoking, deaths from high blood pressure refusing to take antihypertensive medication, deaths from diabetes stopping insulin use, and other cases of neglecting one's health. Renowned suicide expert Norman L. Faber points out that timing and consciousness are key characteristics of "quasi-suicidal" behavior. He is usually not consciously trying to die, but at least to some extent knows that his actions could lead to death. He does not consider himself a suicidal person. Many quasi-suicidal individuals subscribe to a "live for the moment" philosophy and use indirect suicide to dispel deep emotional pain. The immediate effect-pleasure (smoking), ease (drinking), or a feeling of floating (drug use)-is a powerful motivator. Pain can still motivate others; they may feel the need to redeem a failed marriage because the partner they seek would embarrass them. Dr. Thomas M. Vogt writes: "The most unforgettable observation in this study was the high level of melancholy observed in these middle-aged male subjects." These unpleasant things take time to come to understand. When these results are published, people won't read about the unhappy lives these men led-only about their respective illnesses-and won't know how many of them so bluntly refused to make changes because they simply didn't want to prolong their lives.