It is known to all that The incidence of autolytic episodes and completed suicides has increased enormously in our country an almost exponential increase as a result of the pandemic in which we are still immersed.
The figures leave no room for doubt. The data referring to the year 2020 indicates that 3,941 people took their lives in our country. The highest number ever seen. That is, today, In Spain, a person takes their own life every 2 and a quarter hours. 11 people a day.
For years a thick veil has been drawn over this reality, hiding data and news about it, in order to not encourage the so-called call effect. The problem existed, but, as happens with sexual abuse in childhood, it remained in limbo.
This scourge, on the other hand, is global, not just national, and finally, throughout 2021, that veil has been lifted and suicide has begun to be talked openly with the declaration of World Suicide Prevention Day, specifically on September 10.
Along the same lines, a suicide care and prevention service has recently been activated in the public system, at the national level, accessible anonymously through 024. The idea is none other than to stop considering suicide as a taboo subject and begin to talk about it naturally, which has been proven to have a great preventive effect.
At this point we ask ourselves: “What are suicidal thoughts? Suicidal thoughts are considered all those thoughts that an individual has, referring to taking his or her own life in an intentional and planned manner. It is very important to differentiate suicidal thoughts from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Suicidal Disorder). If this difference is not well understood it can be confusing for families and even for professionals.
We will address suicide OCD first. It is natural for people to have an occasional thought of suicide. Many of us have at some point imagined crashing the car, jumping off the train or cutting our wrists, without ever getting caught up in these thoughts.
However, For people with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) these suicidal thoughts can become an obsession. They become so obsessed with these self-harming thoughts that they end up creating a terrible mental “loop,” with increasingly terrifying and recurring ideas. Finally, the fear is so much that they end up not daring to be alone.
The most common obsessions in suicidal OCD would be: the fear of committing suicide itself, constantly thinking about a thousand and one ways to do it, and the fear of falling into depression, which could cause, in turn, the act of removing oneself. life.
All of this ends up, inevitably, leading to a constant, endless reflection, in an attempt to compare and check if, in the end, they would act as their thoughts predict. It is a kind of desperate search for answers to their terrible thoughts, including, of course, all kinds of research and investigation into forms and manners of suicide already committed in other people.
It is very important to understand, for these people, as well as for family members and therapists, that Thinking repeatedly and obsessively about suicide does not make it more likely. This is something completely false.
We must remember again and again that suicidal thoughts are premeditated and intentional. While, in suicide OCD, the person is afraid of committing suicide. That is, it is the other way around. And of course, as in all anticipatory fear, thoughts will act as a preventive tool, precisely, to avoid committing suicide.
That is to say, the person who becomes obsessed with it is afraid of committing suicide, he is even afraid of having thoughts about suicide, which makes him distance himself from all the scenarios that his tormented mind projects.
This does not, of course, prevent us from trivializing this problem. Suicide OCD is often devastating with disproportionate emotional and energetic wear in those who suffer from it and with correlates of anxiety, as well as emotional breakdowns that can lead to severe and recurrent depression.
Characteristics of suicidal ideation
Having made this distinction between suicidal OCD and suicidal thoughts, we reiterate that these, suicidal ideas, refer to the fact of thinking or planning suicide. We are now talking about deliberate thoughts, not obsessive ones. And they can range from making a detailed plan to having a passing impulse.
In any case, in no case does suicidal thinking imply, per se, the final act of suicide. Without falling into easy simplisms, we must highlight that many people experience suicidal thoughts throughout their lives, whether at some particularly difficult time, in situations of severe stress or in situations of deterioration in mental or physical health.
Beneath these thoughts there always lies one problem or another. And we must be optimistic therapeutically speaking. If the problem is reached, the treatment is effective in many cases, but The first step, of course, is always to ask for help. And this is the most difficult thing actually.
That is why it is important that, if we hear a loved one talk about suicide, not in an obsessive way like OCD, it is essential to do everything we can to be present at their side, in a gentle and conscious way.
Let’s pay attention to the signs
If we see that that loved or close one begins to talk about suicide or death, or frequently regrets having been born or the fact of being born. If you feel trapped, without a way out, hopeless, suffering terrible emotional pain, or show extreme mood swings, agitation, extreme anxiety levels, depression or panic attacks. Even if we see him as “gone”, out of place, with difficulty concentrating, let’s be attentive, these are possible warning signs.
There are, obviously, clearer signs, such as obtaining firearms or substances that can end a person’s life. Isolating yourself from others, feeling like a burden to everyone, and talk or say goodbye to us as if we would never see them again. Sometimes remorse and very severe self-criticism are observed in them.
Although there are also other much more subtle signs, such as, for example, suddenly starting to put your life affairs in order and starting to give things away. It is also very typical to isolate oneself from others and make it known that one feels like a burden to everyone.
In any case, despite the terrible nature of both, both in suicidal OCD and suicidal thoughts, if we detect the alarm in time and connect with the person, the therapy is very grateful. We must never forget that, after all, Behind every suicide or autolytic attempt lies, to a greater or lesser extent, a certain “affective void.” so the most important thing at the beginning, and throughout the entire process, is the “presence”, the real and human accompaniment, both from family members and therapists.
Author: Javier Elcarte, psychologist specializing in trauma. Founder and director of Vitaliza.
