Why Do People Attempt Suicide?

Suicide often stems from a deep feeling of hopelessness. The inability to to see solutions to problems or
to cope with challenging life circumstances may lead people to see suicide as the only option to what is
really a temporary situation. Depression is a key risk factor for suicide; others include psychiatric
disorders, substance use, chronic pain, a family history of suicide, and a prior suicide attempt.
Impulsiveness often plays a role among adolescents who take their life. There are many myths about
suicide, and one is the mistaken belief that talking about it to a person in danger encourages it. If a loved
one expresses thoughts or plans of suicide, it’s essential to initiate a conversation. It is wise to approach
such a discussion by researching depression and suicide ahead of time, identifying concrete resources
such as a therapist or suicide prevention hotline, fully exploring the person's thoughts and emotions,
and following up with the person over time.

CONNECTED TOPI

Depression

Dysthymia, Mood Disorders, SAD

What Is Depression?

Some 15 million Americans a year struggle with depression, an illness that comes in many forms—from
major depression and seasonal affective disorder, to dysthymia and bipolar disorder. Depression is an
illness that increasingly afflicts people worldwide, interfering with concentration, motivation, and many
other aspects of everyday functioning. It is a complex disorder, involving many systems of the body,
including the immune system, either as cause or effect. It disrupts sleep and it interferes with appetite,
in some cases causing weight loss, in others weight gain. Because of its complexity, a full understanding
of depression has been elusive.

Scientists have some evidence that the condition is related to diet, both directly—through the nutrients
we consume, such as omega-3 fats—and indirectly, through the composition of the bacteria in the gut.
Of course, depression involves mood and thoughts as well as the body, and it causes pain for both those
with the disorder and those who care about them. Depression is increasingly common in children.

Even in the most severe cases, depression is highly treatable. The condition is often cyclical, and early
treatment may prevent or forestall recurrent episodes. Many studies show that the most effective
treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, which addresses problematic thought patterns, with or
without the use of antidepressant drugs. In addition, evidence is quickly accumulating that regular
mindfulness meditation, on its own or combined with cognitive therapy, can stop depression before it
starts by effectively disengaging attention from the repetitive negative thoughts that often set in motion
the downward spiral of mood.

article continues after advertisement

Depression in the United States

A Conversation About Mood Disorders

Symptoms of Depression

Not everyone who is depressed or manic experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few
symptoms, some many. Severity of symptoms varies among individuals and also varies over time.

Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood

Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex

Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"

Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

Insomnia, early morning awakening or oversleeping

Appetite changes and/or weight loss, and/or weight gain

Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts

Restlessness, irritability

Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders
and chronic pain

What Makes You Great Can Kill You

The College Student Mental Health Crisis

Rising Temperatures Could Worsen Mental Health

Causes of Depression

There is no single known cause of depression. Rather, it likely results from a combination of genetic,
biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors. Trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult
relationship, or any stressful situation that overwhelms the ability to cope may trigger a depressive
episode. Subsequent depressive episodes may occur with or without an obvious trigger.

Research with brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), shows that the
brains of people who have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts
of the brain responsible for regulating mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior appear to function
abnormally. In addition, the chemicals that brain cells use to communicate—neurotransmitters—may
also be affected. It is not clear which changes seen in the brain may be the cause of depression and
which ones the effect.

Some types of depression tend to run in families, suggesting there may be some genetic vulnerability to
the disorder.

8 Evidence-Based Integrative Approaches

Can Treatment Resistant Depression Be Successfully Treated?

Depression in Young Children Is Treatable

Treatment of Depression

Depression, even the most severe cases, is a highly treatable disorder. As with many illnesses, the earlier
that treatment can begin, the more effective it is and the greater the likelihood that recurrence can be
prevented.

Appropriate treatment for depression starts with a physical examination by a physician. Certain
medications, as well as some medical conditions such as viral infections or a thyroid disorder, can cause
the same symptoms as depression and should be ruled out. The doctor should ask about alcohol and
drug use, and whether the patient has thoughts about death or suicide.

Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated a number of ways. The most common
treatments are medication and psychotherapy. Many studies show that cognitive behavioral
psychotherapy is highly effective, alone or in combination with drug therapy. Psychotherapy addresses
the thinking patterns that precipitate depression, and studies show that it prevents recurrence. Drug
therapy is often helpful in relieving symptoms, such as severe anxiety, so that people can engage in
meaningful psychotherapy.

How Couples Cope with Bipolar Disorder

Depression Is Killing Gay Men

Postpartum Isn't Just the Baby Blues

Varieties of Depression

Depression generally takes one of two major forms. Unipolar depression is what most people mean
when they talk about depression: an unremitting state of sadness, apathy, or hopelessness, and loss of
energy. It is sometimes called major depression. Bipolar depression, or bipolar disorder, is a condition
marked by periods of depression and periods of high-energy mania; people swing between the two
poles of mood states, sometimes over the course of days, sometimes over years, often with stable
periods in between.

The birth of a baby can trigger mood swings or crying spells in the following days or weeks, the so-called
baby blues. When the reaction is more severe and prolonged, it is considered postpartum depression, a
condition requiring treatment because it can interfere with the ability to care for the newborn.
Depression can also occur seasonally, primarily in the winter months when sunlight is in short supply.
Known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, it is often ameliorated by daily exposure to specific types
of artificial light.

Suicidal thoughts often coincide with depressive episodes, which is why it's important to be aware of the
signs if you or a loved one experiences any prolonged mood disturbance.

CONNECTED TOPICS

Bipolar Disorder, Postpartum

Magnesium for Depression

A Real Dietary Treatment for Mood Disorders

Depression and Your Health

Americans are obsessed with happiness, yet we are increasingly depressed: Some 15 million Americans
battle the disorder, and increasing numbers of them are young people. Mental anguish is hard on your
health. People suffering from depression have three times the risk of experiencing a cardiac event. In
fact, depression affects the entire body. It weakens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to viral
infections and, over time, possibly even some kinds of cancer—a strong argument for early treatment of
depression. It interferes with sleep, adding to feelings of lethargy, compounding problems of focus and
concentration, and generally undermining health. Those suffering from depression also experience
higher rates of diabetes and osteoporosis. Sometimes depression manifests as a persistent low mood, a
condition known as dysthymia. It is usually marked by years-long periods of low energy, low self-esteem,
and little ability to experience pleasure.

The Fight Against Depression

Going Untreated Can Change the Brain

Living with Depression

Everyone experiences an occasional blue mood. Yet clinical depression is a more pervasive experience of
repetitive negative rumination, bleak outlook, and lack of energy. It is not a sign of personal weakness or
a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with depression cannot merely "pull themselves
together" and get better.

It doesn't help when there are growing pressures in modern-day living. There is an emphasis on early
childhood achievement at the expense of free play, a cultural shift away from direct social contact
toward electronic connection, and a focus on material wealth at the expense of rich experiences and
social contact. All play a part.

However, there is some evidence that, painful as depression is, it serves a positive purpose, bringing
with it ways of thinking that force those who suffer to focus on problems as a prelude to solving them.
In effect, some researchers hypothesize that depression can help prod a person into much needed self-
awareness.

Suicide snatches one life every 40 seconds

in one of the daily newspapers in the country last June.

TEACHERS are supposed to be pillars of education but some of them were making headlines recently for
committing suicide. There was Emylou Malate, a 21-year-old grade-school teacher of Bagacay West
Primary School in La Paz, Leyte. She reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself.

Another one was Jay Rubina, a public-school teacher, who also committed suicide but gave some hint a
few weeks before his death.

“We don’t have a good data on suicide in the Philippines but in 2012, there were 2,550 recorded
suicides,” Undersecretary Herminigildo Valle of the Department of Health was quoted as saying in one
of the daily newspapers in the country last June.

If that’s frightening, the statistics worldwide is even more scary. Every 40 seconds, someone dies by
suicide, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO).

“Every year, close to 800,000 people take their own life and there are many more people who attempt
suicide,” the United Nations health agency reported. “Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families,
communities and entire countries, and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind.”

Most of these suicides occur in industrialized countries like the United States and Japan, as these are
oftentimes reported in the media. Suicides in developing countries are low because they are not always
reported.

“Suicide does not just occur in high-income countries, but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the
world,” the WHO pointed out. “In fact, over 79 percent of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-
income countries in 2016.”

An earlier WHO report said the Philippines has suicide rates (per 100,000) of 2.5 for men and 1.7 for
women. This fact may be appalling for Filipinos, but the numbers are way too small compared to those
in Western countries.
In fact, the Philippines has one of the world’s lowest suicide rates. The 2000 Philippine Health Statistics
from the health department showed only 1.8 per 100,000 people to have inflicted harm on themselves.
In comparison, European countries had the highest figures, which ranged from 30 to 42 per 100,000.

According to the WHO, approximately 32 percent of the world’s suicides occur in the Western Pacific
region, of which the Philippines is a part of. “While acknowledged as an important and neglected health
issue, it remains a low priority in most Western Pacific countries due to competing health problems,
stigma and poor understanding of the condition,” wrote Maria Theresa Redaniel, May Antonnette
Lebanan-Dalida and David Gunnell, authors of Suicide in the Philippines: Time Trend Analysis (1974-2005)
and Literature Review.

Dr. Dinah Nadera, a psychologist at the University of the Philippines Open University, told the Philippine
Daily Inquirer that suicides happened between 8:01 in the morning and noon on weekdays, “when other
people were not around in their homes.” The information was based from studies made on 300 cases
from hospitals and police reports in 2008 and 2009.

Least suicides occurred between 12:01 and 4 a.m., the studies found.

All in all, there may be more Filipinos who committed suicide than what was being recorded. “Certainly,
the actual rate in the Philippines is probably higher, with many doctors agreeing not to report deaths as
suicides because of the stigma. But even if we could get the true figure, it would probably still be
relatively low,” Dr. Michael Tan wrote in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Suicide, the process of purposely ending one’s own life, has always been viewed negatively in most
culture. But not in Asia, where 60 percent of all the suicide deaths in the world are reported from. In fact,
two of the countries with relatively huge suicide rates are Japan and South Korea, which have a very
high level of competition that starts right from childhood.

“Although some attempted or completed suicides come as a shock even to family and friends, clear
warnings are given in most cases,” points out The Merck Manual of Medical Information. “Any suicide
threat or suicide attempt is a plea for help and must be taken seriously. If the threat or attempt is
ignored, a life may be lost.”
Suicides come in various forms. “It is estimated that around 20 percent of global suicides are due to
pesticide self-poisoning, most of which occur in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income
countries,” the WHO said. “Other common methods of suicide are hanging and firearms.”

In the Philippines, a study showed that the methods of committing suicide included shooting oneself, 40
percent; hanging, 30 percent; poisoning, 16.7 percent; and jumping from high places, 13.3 percent. In
73 percent of the reported cases, suicide was committed in their own homes.

Sen. Joel Villanueva pointed out during a Senate hearing last year that 46 percent of the total suicide
cases recorded since 2010 were from the youth. Filipino children as young as 10 years old resort to
suicide because of depression, he said.

Suicide is generally equated with mental health. “While the link between suicide and mental disorders
[in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders] is well established in high-income countries, many
suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life
stresses, such as financial problems, relationship breakup or chronic pain and illness,” the WHO said.

In addition, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly
associated with suicidal behavior, it added.

Studies have also shown that suicide rates are also high among the vulnerable groups who experience
discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
intersex persons; and prisoners.

“By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt,” the WHO affirmed.

But deaths could be avoided if only the person who wants to end his or her life could have someone to
lean on. “When a person is positive to having suicide thoughts and killing himself or herself, people
around should take action by never leaving someone suicidal on their own and removing the means of
suicide available to the person if it is safe to do so,” the WHO said.
“It’s important to realize that suicide is preventable,” the UN health agency said. “And that having
access to the means of suicide is both an important risk factor and determinant of suicide.”

In a press statement, the WHO talked about some protective factors, which include high self-esteem and
social “connectedness,” especially with family and friends, having social support, being in a stable
relationship, and religious or spiritual commitment.

The WHO believes that with proper support, a suicidal person can be saved. In the Philippines there are
support group institutions that one can turn to with issues on love, relationships, gender issue (including
gender confusion), family matters, and bullying in the workplace, school and social media.

“Early identification and appropriate treatment of mental disorders is an important preventive

strategy,” the WHO said.

There is also evidence that educating primary health-care personnel in the identification and treatment
of people with mood disorders may result in a reduction of suicides among those at risk.

Media—print, television, radio and social—have a significant role to play, too. “Evidence also suggests
that media reporting can encourage imitation suicides and we would urge that the media show
sensitivity in their reporting on these tragic and frequently avoidable deaths,” the WHO pleaded.

“The media can also play a major role in reducing stigma and discrimination associated with suicidal
behaviors and mental disorders,” the UN agency concluded.

Image Credits: freepik.