Suicide is a very complex phenomenon like practically everything related to death.
However, in this case part of that “interest” does not come from the act of committing suicide itself, but from the myths that circulate about this phenomenon.
Next We will see the most common myths about suicide and we will see why they are based on falsehoods.
1. The discretion of the suicide
There is a myth according to which those who want to end their own life do not say so, which leads to not paying attention to subjects who in one way or another express their suicidal ideas or threaten to commit the act.
However, the reality is that out of every ten people who commit suicide, nine of them clearly and timely express their purposes ; The remaining subject hinted at his intentions without needing to express them verbally.
2. He who warns is not serious
Another myth would be the following: the person who says it does not do it, he only expresses it so that these warnings act as a form of emotional blackmail, manipulation, etc. In other words, they don’t want to die, they just show off.
However, while it is true that not all those who attempt suicide want to die, it is a serious mistake to label them as alarmists, since they are people to whom their useful mechanisms of adaptation to life have failed and therefore they no longer find valid alternatives to continue, except ending their life.
Virtually all people who commit suicide expressed it with words, gestures or obvious changes in behavior.
Thus, those therapists who handle cases related to suicidal behavior should take all possible precautions when treating a person who talks about ideas, plans or intentions to end their life. Any and all expressed threats of harm to self should be taken very seriously.
3. The myth of impulsiveness
According to another myth, suicide is always impulsive and occurs without prior warning on the part of the subject.
Beyond this preconception, evidence shows that suicide may appear impulsive, but has usually been considered for some time before being completed. Many of the completed suicides express some type of verbal or behavioral warning about their intentions.
4. A very firm decision
Many people believe that suicidal people really want to die or are willing to end their life at any cost, since they have made an almost immutable decision.
However, it is proven that the majority of people with marked suicidal ideation communicate their thoughts and/or plans to at least one person related to them just before attempting to take their own life, or call a crisis hotline. or to your family doctor, which is evidence of ambivalence in thoughts, not of immovable intention to end his life.
Another misconception is that when a person shows signs of improvement or survives a suicide attempt, they are completely out of danger.
The reality is that one of the most dangerous moments is the one that occurs immediately after the crisis or when the subject is in the hospital after an attack.
The week after discharge from the hospital is when the person is particularly fragile and in serious danger of making another attempt on their life.
Since past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, the suicide is still at risk.
6. The myth of inheritance
According to another myth, suicidal behavior is hereditary.
What science really says, however, is that not all suicide can be strongly linked to hereditary factors, and The studies on this are quite limited. On the other hand, a family history of suicide is an important risk factor, particularly in families in which depression is common.
7. Suicides have a mental disorder
People who try to commit suicide They do not have to have a mental disorder. It is known that suicidal behaviors have been associated with depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia and other mental disorders. However, this association should not be overestimated since there are cases in which there was no obvious mental disorder.
8. If you challenge a suicide, he does not dare to kill himself
What science says is that challenging a suicide is a completely irresponsible act since we are dealing with a highly vulnerable person and in a crisis situation where their adaptation mechanisms have completely failed, thus predominating the desire to end their life.
Another myth says that if you talk about suicide with a person at risk, You can be incited to carry out the act, even unintentionally.
Despite this, it is widely demonstrated that talking about suicide with a risky person, instead of inciting them, provoking them or introducing the idea into their mind, reduces the danger of committing it and in many cases it may be the only possibility of rescuing the subject. .
