Thinking of Death“There are times in every life when we would like to die temporarily”

- Mark Twain

Thinking of Death

❖ Most people learn to manage stress in a healthy way. For some people stress can cause alienation, feeling isolated and separated from everyone else. These people may be unable to cope with difficult life experiences. They may seek to escape from the pain and consider ending their lives.

Thinking of Death

❖ Suicide – is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life.

❖ It is normal to have passing thoughts about what it would be like to be dead or about using death to avoid one’s current situation. It’s normal so long as these thoughts are fleeting and not seriously investigated.

Suicide

❖ To understand suicide, it is a necessary to understand that suicide is not seen as death as much as it is seen as a temporary relief or solution to one’s problems.

❖ A fundamental issue for most people contemplating suicide is their lack of faith in their own ability and competency to lead the lives they want to have.

The Statistics

❖ 1. For teens (ages 15-24) suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death. (Accidents and homicides are first and second)

❖ 2. About 4,500 teens commit suicide each year.

❖ 3. There may be as many as 100-200 attempts for every completed suicide. Many go unreported.

Suicide Prevention. (2014, January 9). Retrieved August 23, 2014.

The Statistics

❖ 4. Only a small percentage of adolescents leave notes explaining why they killed themselves.

❖ 5. Statistically, the characteristic suicide attempt is made by an adolescent girl or young women with emotional problems.

❖ 6. About 3% of children under the age of 15 are suicidal.

The Statistics❖ 7. Worldwide, 1,000 people kill themselves every

day.

❖ 8. In the US between 25,000 and 50,000 people kill themselves each year. There may be as many as 800,000 attempts every year.

❖ 9. Females attempt suicide more often than males at a rate of 2 to 1, males succeed at suicide more often than females at the same rate. With teens, 5 times as many males will be more successful at their attempt than females.

The Statistics❖ 10. Women are more likely to use an overdose of

drugs or slash wrists to attempt suicide - either method allows time for intervention. Whereas a man is more likely to choose a more violent method, such as shooting or hanging himself. In general, the most common method of suicide is with a gun.

❖ 11. 75% of suicidal people will visit a physician in the months preceding their attempt.

❖ 12. 80% of those who complete a suicide have previously attempted.

The Statistics❖ 13. Since most suicidal individuals don’t really want to

die, many suicide attempts happen in the late afternoon or early evening when friends and family are more likely to discover the victim and “save” him or her.

❖ 14. In the general population, April and May have the highest number of suicides. September and October are especially high-risk months for children and adolescents. December has the lowest rate for completions of any month.

❖ 15. Statistically, the highest suicide rate per capita is among older people age 85 and older.

Factors Contributing to Suicide

❖ Often we try to look at what causes a person to commit suicide. We can look at an event that may of happened recently (break up, failing grade, not making a team…) or something more long term (divorce, abuse . . .). While both of these are important it is usually not so much these events, but how the person copes with theses events that determine if he or she will become suicidal. Some adolescents, given a number of life stressors, will never be suicidal. Others with the same or fewer stressors will cope with stress by considering suicide as an option.

Suicide is a process:Some reasons a person might choose suicide:

❖ a. A prolonged depression

❖ b. Fear of failure, incompetence, rejection

❖ c. Fear of being alone (“I can’t live without...”)

❖ d. Guilt over what one has done or has failed to do

❖ e. Anger at parents, spouse, boy/girl friend

❖ f. Irrational behavior caused by drugs and/or alcohol

Suicide is a process:Some reasons a person might choose suicide:

❖ g. Grief over a loss - job, health, loved one, an expectation...

❖ h. A desire to be in complete control of one’s life and end of life.

❖ i. A desire to control or punish others

❖ j. A means of getting attention and love

❖ k. Desire to end a life not worth living

Warning Signs❖ The majority of those contemplating suicide give clues

to their plans, some are obvious, while others are subtle. Some things you can watch for in those around you:

❖ a. Talking about killing self

❖ b. Preparing for their own death, getting things “in order”. Giving away prized possessions, making a will, cleaning room…

❖ c. A long depression, then suddenly “snapping out of it”. The greatest danger in suicide exists during the first 3 months after a person recovers from a deep depression.

Warning Signs❖ d. Sudden behavior change: an outgoing person suddenly

becomes quiet and withdrawn; a shy person suddenly becomes reckless and uninhibited.

❖ e. Heavy alcohol / drug use. Drugs not only dull emotional pain, but they make people do things they normally wouldn't. Most teens who commit suicide have taken some drug in any of the 24 hours leading up to the act.

❖ f. Person acts angry at him/her self and the world; feels helpless, hopeless, and self-destructive.

❖ g. Obsessed with death – the main theme in writing, talk, art

Warning Signs

❖ h. May have suffered a serious loss lately (break up, death, fight – or the anniversary of such a thing)

❖ i. Change in sleeping, eating, personal habits, appearance, concern for school

❖ j. Increased risk taking

❖ k. Loss of interested in things previous enjoyed- activities, friends

❖ l. In trouble - law, family, school....

How You Can Help❖ 1. 91% of high school students said they would turn

to a friend first if they ever considered suicide.

❖ The most important thing you can do is listen. You need to be non-judgmental (don't criticize their choice or tell them why they can't do it). It is okay to ask if they are planning to hurt or kill themselves.

❖ Show you take the person's feelings seriously and wish to help. Communicate your concern and support. Do not try to talk them out of it.

How You Can Help❖ Ask if they have a plan. If they already have

the means (pills, gun) do not leave them alone! You need to take immediate action and get help for them.

❖ Try to find out why they want to kill themselves. This will help you know where to direct them for help.

❖ It is important for you to know that there are some secretes you cannot keep - you have to tell a responsible adult as soon as possible.