Suicide

Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries.  Attempts at suicide, and suicidal 
thoughts or feelings are usually a sign indicating that a person is not coping, often as a result of some event 
or series of events that they personally find prostrating traumatic or distressing.   Most people who attempt 
suicide are confused about whether or not they want to die.  They usually are desperate to find a way to 
remove or stop emotional pain.  A suicide attempt is often a cry for help that ends in a tragedy.  In eight out 
to ten suicides the person has spoken about their intent before killing themselves. In many cases, their 
impact can be mitigated, or their prostrating mind will gradually decrease if the person is able to make 
constructive choices about dealing with the crisis when it is at its worst.  In some cases exceeding deaths by 
motor vehicle accidents annually.  Many countries spend limitless amounts of money on safer roads, but 
very little on suic!
ide awareness and prevention, or on educating people about how to make good life choices.   They need 
someone to take them and their emotional pain and discouragement seriously.  What is usually most helpful 
is to encourage them to express them-selves without telling them how they should feel or think.  In the vast 
majority of cases a suicide attemptor would choose differently if they were not in great distress and were 
able to evaluate their options objectively.  Most suicidal people give warning signs in the hope that they 
will be rescued, because they are intent on stopping their emotional pain, not on dying.  Suicidal people 
need friends who will listen patiently and show they care, and referral to a professional if possible.  Since 
this can be extremely difficult, so we may be better able to recognize and help other people in crisis, and 
also to find how to seek help or make better choices ourselves.

People usually attempt suicide to block unbearable emotional pain, which is caused by a wide variety of 
problems.  A person attempting suicide is often so distressed that they are unable to see that they have other 
options.  We can help prevent a tragedy by trying to understand how they feel and helping them to look for 
better choices that they could make.  Suicidal people often feel terribly isolated because of their distress, 
they may not think of anyone they can turn to, furthering this isolation.  
“In particular, those with satisfactory professional qualifications and those who earn a normal living, 
appear in normal proportion."
(Adolescent Suicide, Andr* Haim.  Page 166)

Having suicidal thoughts does not imply that you are crazy, or necessarily mentally ill.  People who attempt 
suicide are often acutely distressed and the vast majority are depressed to some area.  This depression may 
be either a reactive depression which is an entirely normal reaction to difficult surroundings, or may be an 
sad depression which is the result of a diagnosable mental illness with other fundamental causes.  It may 
also be a combination of the two.  The question of mental illness is a difficult one because both these kinds 
of depression may have similar symptoms and effects.  Furthermore, the exact definition of depression as a 
diagnosable mental illnesses tends to be slightly flowing and inexact, so whether a person who is distressed 
enough to attempt suicide would be suffering from dental office depression may vary in different peoples 
opinions, and may also vary between cultures.  
“On the basis of the low suicide rates in Catholic countries and among orthodox Jewish communities, 
McAnarney (1979) suggested that religious culture may influence the suicide rate."
(Suicide and Attempted suicide among children and Adolescents, Keith Hawton.  Page 42)

It is probably more helpful to characterize between these two types of depression and treat each 
accordingly than to simply diagnose all such depression as being a form of mental illness, even though a 
person suffering from a reactive depression might match the diagnostic criteria typically used to diagnose 
clinical depression.  
In a society where there is much disgrace and ignorance regarding mental illness, a person who feels 
suicidal may fear that other people will think they are "crazy" if they tell them how they feel, and so may be 
unwilling to reach out for help in a crisis.  In any case, illustrate someone as "crazy", which has strong 
negative hints, probably is not helpful and is more likely to prevent someone from seeking help which may 
be very beneficial, whether they have a diagnosable mental illness or not.  
“A variable percentage of suicide completers have some contact with the mental health profession, but they 
rarely are in treatment at the time of the suicide." (Suicide and homicide among adolescents, Paul C. 
Holinger, Daniel Offer, James T. Barter, Carl C. Bell. Page 109)

People who are suffering from a mental illness or clinical depression do have significantly higher suicide 
rates than average, although they are still in the minority of attemptors.  For these people, having their 
illness correctly diagnosed can mean a lot of comfort to them. 
Talking about the feelings surrounding suicide promotes understanding and can greatly reduce the 
immediate distress of a suicidal person.  In particular, it is find to ask someone if they are considering 
suicide, if you suspect that they are not coping.  If they are feeling suicidal, it can come as a great relief to 
see that someone else has some insight into how they feel.  The most appropriate way to raise the subject 
will differ according to the situation, and what the people involved feel comfortable with.  It is also 
important to take the persons overall response into consideration when interpreting their answer, since a 
person in distress may initially say "no", even if they mean "yes".  A person who is not feeling suicidal will 
usually be able to give a comfortable "no" answer, and will often continue by talking about a specific 
reason they have for living.  It can also be helpful to ask what they would do if they ever were in a situation 
where they were seriously consi!
dering killing themselves, in case they become suicidal at some point in the future, or they are suicidal but 
don't initially feel comfortable about telling you.  Talking completely about how to commit suicide can give 
ideas to people who feel suicidal, but have not thought about how they did do it yet.  Media reports that 
concentrate solely on the method used and ignore the emotional backdrop behind it can tend to encourage 
copy-cat suicides.
Suicide is often extremely traumatic for the friends and family members that remain, even though people 
that attempt suicide often think that no-one cares about them.  In addition to the feelings of grief normally 
associated with a person's death, there may be guilt, anger, resentment, remorse, confusion and great 
distress over unresolved issues.  The disgrace surrounding suicide can make it extremely difficult for 
survivors to deal with their grief and can cause them also to feel terribly isolated.  Survivors often find that 
people relate differently to them after the suicide, and may be very unwilling to talk about what has 
happened for fear of criticism.  They often feel like a failure because someone they cared so much about 
has chosen to suicide, and may also be fearful of forming any new relationships because of the intense pain 
they have experienced through the relationship with the person who has completed suicide.
“The choice of an approach depends upon the therapist’s knowledge of techniques and skill in a particular 
modality.  It is important that the family not be scapegoated." (Suicide and homicide among adolescents, 
Paul C. Holinger, Daniel Offer, James T. Barter, Carl C. Bell. Page 132)

People who have experienced the suicide of someone they cared deeply about can benefit from "survivor 
groups", where they can relate to people who have been through a similar experience, and know they will 
be accepted without being judged or condemned. Most counseling services should be able to refer people to 
groups in their local area. Survivor groups, counseling and other appropriate help can be of tremendous 
assistance in easing the intense burden of unresolved feelings that suicide survivors often carry.  
The main reason people do not talk about suicide is because of the disgrace. People who suffer from 
depression are afraid that others will think they are "crazy", which is so untrue.  And society still has not 
accepted depressive illnesses like they have accepted other diseases.  Alcoholism is a good example no one 
ever wanted to talk openly about that, and now look at how society views it.  It is a disease that most people 
feel pretty comfortable discussing with others if it is in their family. They talk of the effect it has had on 
their lives and different treatment plans.  And everyone is educated on the dangers of alcohol and on 
alcohol prevention.  As for suicide, it is a topic that has a long history of being unclean, something that 
should just be forgotten.   And that is why people keep dying.  Suicide is so misunderstood by most people, 
so the myths are maintained.  And the restricted prevents people from getting help, and prevents society 
from learning more about suic!
ide and depression.  If everyone were educated on these subjects, many lives could be saved. 

	There was a story, it was about a father who had two sons.  The youngest son say to his father 
“Father, give me my share of the estate."(Luke 15:11)  So the man divide his property between.  However, 
the youngest spent all the things that his father had gave it to him and he come back his father.  The man 
was not mad and he make a feast for him.  The elder son see it and very unhappy about it so when to his 
father and told him this is unfair to him.  But the man said “My son, you are always with me, and 
everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and 
is alive again; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15:31-32)  This indicates that when someone had suicidal 
thoughts we should not just look them down, even though suicide is immoral in the Christianity, but we can 
not stop to helping people because what we can save a life and make them back into normal person again. 	

In many religions, suicide is considered forbidden.  Historically, different religions have had different 
attitudes about suicide.  Judaism and Christianity both made suicide a sin.  According to both religions, 
only God can give life, so only God should be able to take it away.  The commandment “Thou shall not 
kill" is seen to apply both to murder and to suicide.  Christian influenced countries actually made suicide 
against the law.  
“Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him.  It is God who remains the 
sovereign Master of life.  We are obliged to accept life grate fully and preserve it for his honor and the 
salvation of our souls.  We are stewards, not owner, of the life God has entrusted to us.  It is not ours to 
dispose of. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Page 608)

On the other hand we should not look down the people who had suicide thoughts,  we should open our arm 
wide enough to help those who need our care and help.
“We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives.  By ways known 
to him alone.  God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.  The church prays for persons who 
have taken their own lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Page 608)

Suicide is an issue which should be examined at by all angles.  Not just from the angle that it is “wrong".  
End of debate.  Rather it should be looked at from the point of view that “yes" for some people, they should 
be allowed to die in peace.  Attempted suicide is also relatively rare in children under the age of 12.  After 
that the rates increase constantly with age especially among girls, who are far more at risk of making 
attempts than boys.  A considerable amount is known about the characteristics of adolescent suicide 
attempters, especially the disturbed care and family problems and the factors that reckless their suicide 
attempts.  Prevention of child, adolescent and adult suicidal behavior is an urgent task.  Doctors, other 
health professionals and teachers play an important role in identifying those most at risk, but this is often 
difficult because their characteristics are shared by many more individuals who will not carry out suicidal 
arts.













Bibliography

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Toronto.  Image Book Doubleday, 1994

Haim Andr*, Adolescent Suicide.  New York, International Universities Press, Inc., 1970

Hawton Keith, Suicide and attempted suicide among children and adolescents.  Beverly Hills, California, 
Sage Publication 1986

Holinger Paul C. and Offer Daniel, Suicide and Homicide among Adolescents.  New York, A Division of 
Guilford Publications, Inc., 1994 

Kirkland G. and Davies R.   Inside poetry, Canada.  Michael Van Elsen Design Inc. 1987

Shneidman E. S. and Farberow N. L., Clues to suicide.  New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1961

Robert P. George and William C. Porth JR.  “Death be not proud" Nation Review June 26 1995

Straus J. H. and Straus M. A.  Suicide, homicide and social structure in Ceylon. The American Journal of 
sociology, LVIII 1953 page 461-469

Strahan, S. A. K., Suicide and insanity. London, Swan Sonneschein and Co., 1894

The Holy Bible, New York.  Oxford University Press Inc., 1977