Suicide Rise and The Contributing Factors
Suicide Rise and the Contributing Factors
Introduction
Suicide cases which implies one ending his or her own life has been on the rise, bringing out to display weather it is advantageous to end one’s life or whether it is a disadvantage to end one’s own life. Yes, ending one’s life can be advantageous to relieve you from the stresses of this world, especially among the old population suffering from a constant disease like pneumonia (Curtin, Warner & Hedegaard, 2016). Besides, there is also the con side to ending one’s life, because it lives the family, relatives and friends in suffering especially if they were close allies to the deceased. Ending one’s life imply that someone is tired of the suffering and wants to temporarily move away from this suffering to a whole new being away from the problems that are giving mental torture or causing them not to get sleep(Bachmann, 2018). For example, a case of an older person of about 70 years, who is not immune to many diseases hence constantly suffers from diseases such as pneumonia and other communicable forcing them to be in and out of the hospital, may get tired and end their life to flee the constant pains. However, ending life may bring about children, family and friends thrown into sufferings and pains, especially for a breadwinner. When a family head decides to end or terminates his life, the family that remains reap the consequences, they lack a provider and someone to take care of them. Moreover, suicide cases are hitting new high due to increased drug abuse and alcohol and the rise of mental disorder cases. The increase in substance abuse is slowly increasing suicidal cases resulting in the reduction of population and reducing the strain on the resources. However, it is depriving the country of useful people who would drive the economy to an unprecedented high economy level. Therefore the suicidal rise should be checked to determine whether it is important or should be minimized and stop people from losing their lives anyhow. The passage below seeks to analyze the issue of the suicidal rise and the factors that contribute to its rise.
Literature review
Suicide History
Suicidal did no start today or yesterday but can date back to decades ago when some of the earliest occupants of the earth committed suicide. Some early people to commit suicide include a Greek historian named Empedocles who believed death was transformation. He threw himself to death inside a silicon volcano. Other early suicidal deaths were committed by Ajax the Great who committed the act in the battlefield of the Trojan War, and also another person was Lucretia. While some like Aristotle condemned suicide, others like the Roman Empire never took it as any serious offence. Aristotle argued that suicide deprived the community of its important members, contributing to the community’s general well-being. While the Romans took it as a serious offence whenever the accused was accused of a capital crime or when the person is a soldier or a slave. For them this people’s deaths would not let them seize the property from them before death, hence the only area that paused strictness for suicide.
Fast forward to the middle age era; the church was very strict to people who tried or committed the act of suicide and were seen as a bad omen. The church would send away those who contemplated or attempted a failed suicide while also ensured that those who died from suicide would be buried at a consecrated place away from others. Slowly perceptions of suicide started to change during renaissance people arguing that ending one’s life will flee someone from torture inflicted on them when alive. Many like David Hume argued that suicide was no crime as it affected nobody. Alternatively, by the 19th century, many people started viewing suicide as caused by insanity and not sin as early contemplated, although it remained illegal. Suicide was then distinguished from homicide and was made legal around mid of the 20th century.
Terminologies
CDC defines and outlines the various terminologies used for suicide in the US department. The various terminologies are suicidal ideation which refers to thinking and planning for suicide. The suicidal plan also refers to the thought of contemplating bodily harm by indicating the means and timing (Goodfellow, Kolves & De Leo, 2019). Besides, there is a suicide attempt which is the act of causing bodily injuries to oneself to die from the act. In case one does not die from such an act, it is referred to as an attempted suicide. Another term is the suicide crisis, often referred to as a situation in which one is serious about committing bodily harm to themselves and often calls for serious intervention from the medical department.
Some other terminology included in the CDC is suicidal behaviour, which refers to some related suicide, such as attempted suicide. One behaves in a unique way different from what people are used to. Also, risk factors refer to the psychological or environmental factors that may cause people to develop a given disorder that may lead to suicide. Besides, we have resilience which is an inbuilt capacity for a human being that enables them to develop mental disorders protection. Moreover, we have postvention, which is the act of caring for those affected by suicidal attempt or even suicidal death and responding in situations of suicidal. Other terms include means which refer to the act or how a person intends to commit the suicidal act. At the same time, the method refers to the techniques used in committing the deadly act. Lastly, the protective factors refer to the factors and situations that ensure the likeliness of suicide is very minimal and hence promote a life free from suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Pros and Cons of suicide
It is always said anything that has an advantage also got a disadvantage. Therefore as much as committing suicide may be negative as it ends someone’s life, it has the positive side. Some of the pros of suicide may include no more pain (Racine, 2018). There are many diseases that can make someone be in and out of the hospital, causing unnecessary pains. In such situations, one may decide to end life to go away from the pains, and it is a plus for them. Other situations include those working as slaves who may be subjected to psychological torture and hence ending their life may be the solution to the constant torture and suffering. Besides, suicide also leads to a decrease in population and reduces the pressure on the available resources. However, the disadvantage of committing suicide will be sufferings inflicted on the family of the deceased. Situations, where the bereaved is the head of the family, may results in sufferings and depression by the people left behind. Lacking someone to provide for their needs and take care of them as used to be, may lead to children dropping out of school. Some getting into drug trafficking and other forms of chaotic means of getting money. Besides suicide, it deprives the nation of important people in the society whom it would have been the main change required in society.
Conclusion
The literature review has opened eyes on the analysis of the suicidal rise and factors that led to the rise, from tracking the history of the rise, terminologies used and the pros and cons of committing suicide.
Reference
Bachmann, S. (2018). Epidemiology of suicide and the psychiatric perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(7), 1425.
Curtin, S. C., Warner, M., & Hedegaard, H. (2016). Increase in suicide in the United States, 1999-2014 (No. 2016). US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.
Goodfellow, B., Kõlves, K., & De Leo, D. (2019). Contemporary definitions of suicidal behaviour: A systematic literature review. Suicide and Life?Threatening Behavior, 49(2), 488-504.
Racine, M. (2018). Chronic pain and suicide risk: A comprehensive review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 87, 269-280.
