Suicide, the first cause of unnatural death in Spain
Suicide is the first cause of unnatural death in Spain. There are twice as many suicides as deaths from traffic accidents. In Spain there are 10 deaths by suicide daily. However, the rate is low compared to other countries in the European Union. Almost 4,000 people died in 2014 for this reason within Spanish borders. 20% more incidence compared to the data recorded in 2007.
There are societies where it is more acceptable, such as in Japan, and others less so. In southern countries, with a strong cultural component that draws on the Catholic religion, suicide is very frowned upon.
Why does someone decide to end their own life?
Often these people They are trying to get away from a life situation that seems impossible to manage. In the suicide attempt they are seeking relief. They often feel ashamed, guilty, or like a burden to others. They feel like victims, and have feelings of rejection, loss or loneliness. Cries for help are often reflected in suicide attempts.
Possible symptoms include difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly, engaging in self-destructive behavior (cutting your body, drinking excessive alcohol), withdrawing from friends or not wanting to go out, and/or changing eating or sleeping habits.
The psychological profile of the person who attempts suicide
These people often do not seek help because they believe that nothing is going to help them, because they do not want to tell anyone that they have problems, because they think that seeking help is a sign of weakness. In other cases, they do not seek help because they do not know where to go so that someone can come and lend them a hand. It must be taken into account that A person who is thinking about suicide has a personal and family history behind him, as well as a certain psychological predisposition.. Suicide is not an isolated event, there is no single cause. It is something multifactorial.
There are triggers, but it is clear that the decision is not made “just” because your boyfriend/girlfriend has left you or because you have lost your job. If that were the case, we would not all have attempted suicide at some point. suicide attempts may be motivated by a mix of genetic and environmental factors. There is no profile of the person who attempts to take their own life and, therefore, it is not easy to predict suicidal behavior.
Recidivism, one of the risk factors
One third of people who have attempted suicide will try again within a year. 10% of people who threaten or attempt suicide ultimately take their own lives. It is not an act of selfishness or cowardice, it is the outcome of a process.
According to experts, when someone makes the decision to commit suicide (that is, second before performing the action), a “short circuit” reaction occurs in the person; it could be said that they suffer “transitory mental alienation” where “the survival instinct fails.” ”.
Suicide and associated mental disorders (comorbidity)
The person who decides to commit suicide does not have to show any mental disorder. However, it is true that 90% of suicide attempts are usually based on some mental disorder or some incurable condition.
1. Depression
The most common mental disorder in cases of suicide is undoubtedly depression. Depression is a powerful predictor of suicide attempts and completed suicides.. However, research shows that between 13% and 40% of people who commit suicide do not meet the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder.
There is evidence that the risk of suicide can sometimes increase as depression goes away. This may be because people with severe depression begin to experience improvement and a return of energy. During this period of time, called the “window period,” the patient is still depressed but has enough energy to carry out a suicide attempt. Still, this doesn’t mean that a deeply depressed person is out of the woods.
2. Drug addiction, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder…
About 10% have other diagnoses such as substance use disorder (for example, alcoholism), schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, or bipolar disorder. Patients with borderline personality disorder, for example, whether with or without depression, are twice as likely to attempt suicide as patients diagnosed with depression alone.
3. Suicides due to ‘subclinical’ causes
Between 5% and 10% of people have no identifiable mental disorder. We assume that they probably suffer from “subclinical symptoms”, that is, they present some symptoms of one or more mental disorders but do not fully meet the diagnostic criteria.
Beyond psychopathology: “rational suicides”
It has been found, however, that An unknown number of people commit what experts have called “rational suicide.”. In these cases, suicide is a decision prepared to end one’s own life, often due to an incurable illness.
As final data, in In most cases of women with suicidal behavior, the search to end their own life is usually due to an emotional issue.. On the other hand, those who die by suicide are more likely to be men, mainly older and with some mental or medical pathology. This is reflected in the statistics.
In general, men commit suicide three times more than womenbut it is also known that women attempt suicide three times more than men because they report higher levels of stress and anxiety. With this, we do not mean that they only want to attract attention. It’s not true. They want to commit suicide, but they can’t.
The most used methods and systems to commit suicide
The method chosen to attempt suicide predicts the “success” of subsequent attempts. Among the most used methods is hanging in first place (used by half of suicides in Spain and mostly men).
The second most used method is jump into the void chosen by a large number of women. The third option is poisoning due to substance use. The “favorite” month for suicides is June.
Suicide in the world
Suicide is an individual action, but there are countries where it is more culturally accepted than in others. For different reasons, such as economic, social and cultural, There are countries where the suicide rate is much higher than in others.. You can check it in the following map.
A taboo topic
Suicide remains a taboo topic in our countryand in many others. It represents a failure as a system, both political, social, health, legal and even cultural. And yet, we still have little data and information about him. Why does it happen? What can we do? Can it be avoided? These are some of the questions we continue to try to solve.
